Kitsune Ninja
by kitsunescythe
Summary: After being bitten by a rather large fox in a lab, Naruto gains superhuman abilities that will not only make high school more interesting, but will also change his life. Deciding to use his new powers for good, he becomes the Kitsune Ninja to fight crime...and worse. NaruHina, MinaKush, JirTsu, SasuSaku, and other pairings to come later. Resembles Spiderman only in the beginning.
1. The Hero-To-Be

Author's note: While this does contain elements from Spiderman, this is NOT a crossover. Naruto's not going to fight any of Spiderman's enemies (and not just because I don't know them all), and the story's not going to follow the story of Spiderman, except for maybe a couple of things here and there.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto or Spiderman (and I'm only going to say this once for Spiderman). If I did, would I really be writing a fanfic? I think I'd be too busy drawing comics or making movies.

So with all that out of the way, let's begin with Chapter 1.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Naruto sighed as he followed his group on their tour through OrochiCorp Laboratories, which was situated on the west side of the metropolis known as Konoha. He was bored out of his mind. _"This science crap is so mind-numbing! Why couldn't they just let us have summer vacation a couple days early instead of making us go on this stupid field trip?!"_ he screamed in his head.

Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, age 15 and a freshman in high school, had blonde spiky hair, blue eyes, and was a little over six-feet in height with an athletic build that many of his female classmates couldn't help but notice. He was wearing his usual outfit—a white shirt that was unbuttoned to his chest and with the sleeves rolled up, a short-sleeved long black coat with a high collar, black jeans, black tennis shoes, and a black headband with an orange swirl on it. A necklace with an opaque green stone and two steel balls on either side hung over the exposed part of his chest.

Normally, the energetic young man would've been ecstatic to be in the big city, away from the boring small town of Hajime where he lived that was on the southeast border of the Land of Fire, but after getting up very early in the morning, riding on a bus for over two hours, and then finding out that wandering around a bunch of labs while some tour guide rambled on about some sciencey crap that Naruto couldn't care less about was all his class was going to do while in the city...well, needless to say, his enthusiasm died and there was no bringing it back.

_"This sucks! The only reason I came on this stupid trip was to look around the city! Well...I guess there's the stupid paper I have to write about this trip too that I can't really afford to blow off, but still!"_ Naruto let out another frustrated sigh as he continued to tail his group, getting further and further away from them as he didn't care enough to walk faster to catch up. "This really sucks," he grumbled aloud.

Passing by an open door, Naruto peeked inside the room only to find it was a large closet of sorts for the researchers' lab coats. A mischievous smile spread across his face as an idea occurred to him that he was sure just might brighten his day. He slipped into the room, closing the door behind him, and proceeded to grab a lab coat that looked as though it would fit him and cover his regular coat. He folded his black coat collar down to hide it beneath the lab coat and then took off his headband and stuffed it into his jean pocket before buttoning up the lab coat. _"Let's go see what I can find outside the tour..."_

Trying ever so hard to stop grinning like an idiot, Naruto poked his head out of the room and looked left then right to make sure the coast was clear. Seeing it was, he walked out into the hall, doing his best to act nonchalant and stuffing his hands into the lab coat's pockets for added effect. Coincidently, this led him to a rather fortunate discovery, which he pulled from the pocket to stare at for a moment in disbelief before his infamous grin returned.

"A keycard... Hehehe! Nice! This day's about to get a whole lot better," he said quietly to himself. He let out another small chuckle before suppressing his grin again and continuing his way down the hall.

Several minutes—and several close-calls with other researchers who could've caught him had they come closer—later, Naruto found himself alone in a large room that had many cages lining the walls and some out in the middle of the floor. Each cage contained an animal. But these animals were clearly different—experiments. The cage nearest to Naruto contained an orange toad. What marked it as an experiment, though, was the fact that it was nearly half Naruto's height as it sat there crouched in the cage looking up at him. The blonde boy stood there staring for a minute before moving further into the room. Toward the back of the room, he found possibly the biggest cage in there, and inside was a creature appeared to be a fox the size of a horse with nine long tails waving around behind it. Its red slitted eyes narrowed at him as it bared its teeth and let out a growl. The dark orange fur on its back stood on end and the long rabbit-like ears flattened as the fox lowered itself into a defensive crouch.

Despite being separated from the creature by the thick bars of the cage, Naruto couldn't help but feel afraid of the fox. He also noted somewhat in the back of his mind that the fox was the only animal in the room to show aggression. But there was something about the fox that fascinated him, and so Naruto tried to calm the creature down.

"Hey, hey, boy. It's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you," Naruto said in a low voice, assuming the fox was male, while holding his hands in front of himself in a placating gesture.

The fox stopped growling and raised its head a bit. Taking that as a good sign, Naruto stepped a bit closer to the cage. "See, boy? I don't even work here. No need to fear me," Naruto gave the creature a small smile.

He was now standing right in front of the cage and successfully kept himself from jumping back when the fox poked its nose out to smell the boy. Seeming satisfied with whatever it was it found out about Naruto, the fox suddenly became docile, sitting down and lowering its head toward Naruto as if to allow the boy to pet it. Never being one to make the most intelligent decisions, Naruto stuck his left arm into the cage and started scratching the fox behind its ears. A peaceful minute passed until suddenly, the fox turned its head and sunk its teeth into Naruto's arm. Yanking his arm back the second the fox released it, Naruto did a small dance of pain as he held his mouth shut with his right hand to stifle his screams.

But then before his very eyes, the wound began to heal. His blood hadn't even dripped from the wound, and then suddenly all the punctures from the fox's teeth began to close, taking the pain with it. Regaining control over his shock, Naruto looked at the fox and asked, "What did you do?"

"Gave you a gift," the fox said simply in a clearly male voice, causing Naruto to fall backward in alarm.

"Y-Y-Y-You t-t-talked?!" the boy stuttered in almost a shriek.

"Keep it down!" the fox scolded with a low stern voice. "Yes, I talk. Obviously. That's just one of the things these...white-coats," he spat the word, "have done to me."

Naruto stood up slowly, his eyes never leaving the fox. "Okay, I guess in some weird, mad-science way that makes sense. But what did you just do to me?"

"Like I said, I gave you a gift. I look forward to seeing how you use it," the fox told him cryptically. "Before you ask," he said, interrupting Naruto before he could start, "I'm not going to go into specifics. I doubt you'd understand them anyway. Simply put, expect to find yourself stronger and your senses enhanced in a day or two."

"Is it gonna hurt? You didn't make me into some werefox, did you?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"I don't know if it'll hurt, but I'm 99 percent sure you will remain fully human," the fox answered.

Naruto made a strange choking noise. "O-Only 99 percent sure?! What if you're wrong?!"

"Calm down. I have a good feeling about this. But there is something you should know," the fox told him. "You must never tell anyone about this except for those you fully trust with all your heart. If you tell just anyone, you'll more than likely end up a lab rat like me. Understand?"

"Yeah, I got it," Naruto nodded. "But speaking of you in here, is there any way for me to free you? And do you have a name?"

"My name is Kurama, but forget about freeing me. I will do that myself in due time," the fox replied. Before Naruto could say anything more, Kurama's ears perked up. "You need to go. The real white-coats are coming, and you can't let them see you. Go!"

Nodding, Naruto said, "Thanks, Kurama!" and ran for the door. He crouched behind a cage next to the door as it opened and two researchers walked through, and thanking his years of being a prankster for making him so sneaky, Naruto slipped out the door behind them without them ever knowing. Once he was back into the non-restricted area of the building, the boy ditched his lab coat—which he noted gratefully hadn't been damaged or bloodied—and keycard, tied his headband back on, and fixed his black coat's collar. Then he made his way back to the lobby where his group was supposed to rendezvous after the tour to wait.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Finally on the bus heading for home, Naruto leaned back in his seat and sighed in relief. Next to him was his friend Arashi, a boy with brown eyes and dark green hair that was spiky but not as much as Naruto's. He wore a dark red T-shirt, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes.

Hearing his friend sigh, Arashi raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "What's wrong, Naruto? Didn't you enjoy the field trip?" He chuckled as he knew full-well that Naruto had been bored out of his mind in that place.

Naruto hesitated. On the one hand, yes, the field trip had sucked for the most part, but on the other, what had happened with Kurama was fairly intriguing. _"Can I trust Arashi with this, though?"_ he asked himself.

Arashi had been Naruto's friend since junior high, but even then the two mostly only hung out at school. Because of Naruto's reputation for pranking and getting into fights because of his short temper, the other kids tended to stay away from him even when he was little. No one wanted to get in trouble because of him, so casual acquaintances and one friend were all Naruto had among his peers, which there weren't many of in the small town. And whenever Arashi helped Naruto out with a prank, he had a tendency to ditch Naruto immediately if it seemed like they were going to be caught.

_"Nah. He'd blab as soon as he had an excuse too. 'Sides that, I don't even know if there's anything to tell yet. Kurama could've just been driven nuts by the experiments they did on him,"_ Naruto told himself. Out loud to his friend he answered with a shrug, "Could've been worse, I guess. I'm just glad it's over now."

Arashi chuckled. "When you disappeared for awhile, I half expected part of the building to explode or something."

Naruto had told his group that he'd gotten separated and lost and that he'd immediately went to the lobby to just wait for them. His teachers were a bit skeptical as were most of his classmates, but since nothing had blown up and security wasn't after him, they let it slide without a word.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Why would I ever do that?" Naruto asked innocently.

"Sure, sure," Arashi replied dryly with another laugh.

Naruto smirked and settled further into his seat. Closing his eyes, he said to Arashi, "Wake me when we get home, will ya?"

"Sure thing, buddy."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The next morning, Naruto woke to his alarm buzzing away, and went to hit the off button just like any other day. What wasn't like any other day was when his light smack to the alarm ended up smashing it to bits on his nightstand. Still half-asleep, Naruto didn't really notice, and he threw back the covers with a yawn before getting out of bed. He made his way to the bathroom across the hall from his room to do his morning routine and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Down in the kitchen, Naruto's mom Kushina, who had long red hair, gray eyes, and wore a long green dress, was cooking breakfast as her husband, Naruto's father Minato, who had spiky blonde hair, blue eyes, and wore a blue T-shirt and blue jeans, sat at the table reading the newspaper when they heard their son scream and rushed upstairs.

"Naruto! What's wrong?!" Minato shouted. Seeing his son wasn't in his room, he stood outside the bathroom, ready to rush in to help Naruto.

"I-I'm fine, Dad! I just woke up with a freakin' huge spider in my hair, and it freaked me out," Naruto lied as he thought of an excuse fast. "I'm okay now!"

"Are you sure, sweetie?" his mom asked. "You sounded like you saw a ghost or something."

"Yeah, I'm fine! It just really surprised me is all!"

"Okay, then. Finish getting ready for school or you'll be late," Kushina told him before heading back down stairs with Minato following behind her.

"Okay, Mom!"

Once his parents were downstairs again, Naruto sighed and ran a hand over his face as he stared at his reflection. On each of his cheeks were three marks that looked like whiskers, his fingernails were longer and pointed like claws, and his eyes were red and slitted like Kurama's. Baring his teeth, Naruto could see that his canines were larger than they had been before too.

"Oh, man...What am I gonna do?" Naruto asked himself. Taking several calming breaths, the boy noticed his eyes were beginning to fade back to their normal blue with human pupils, and that gave him an idea for how to make the other changes disappear as well. Scissors weren't working on his nails at all—they couldn't cut even a little bit—and he had no other idea how to fix his teeth and whisker-marks. So he tried the only other thing he could think of. He concentrated on his hands, and soon enough, he found he could make his nails go back to their normal length. And as for his teeth, they were still larger than normal, but they had shrunk enough to not be noticeable to anyone. The whisker-marks, however, seemed there to stay.

"At least I can fix those with make-up...though just the thought of wearing that crap makes me feel like a girl," Naruto grumbled as he slipped out of the bathroom and snuck into his parents' bedroom.

Half an hour later—most of which time was used in getting the make-up to blend on his face—Naruto came down to breakfast dressed and ready for his last day at school. He wolfed down his food, feeling more hungry than normal as well as being short on time, and soon he was out the door and running to school.

_"Glad I finished my paper about the field trip last night,"_ Naruto thought as he continued to run. This was when he got yet another surprise for the day.

As he was running on the sidewalk, he suddenly noticed he was keeping pace with the car on the road next to him. The blonde boy looked from the car to the next speed limit sign as he passed it and saw it said 30 mph (48.28 kph). He nearly tripped and skidded to a halt.

"Whoa, what the crap?!" he shouted. _"I just ran over three blocks at the speed limit of a car?! What in the—"_

Naruto was interrupted from his thoughts by the school bell, which he was still a few blocks away from. "Crap!" he shouted as he took off again, making a mental note to slow to a normal person's speed when he got closer to the school.

He reached the school and his class just in time, not winded at all from his run. Taking his seat, Naruto prepared himself for what he thought would be his last mundane day at school for the year.

He was so wrong.

Halfway through his first class, Naruto started to notice the clock's ticking as well as the other students' breathing and occasional tapping of their writing utensils seemed much louder than usual. It was to the point that the tapping sounded like hammers on wood, and the ticking was nearly as loud. The fact that he could hear everyone's breathing was, well...disturbing. And his hearing wasn't the only sense that was suddenly improved either.

Naruto, who usually sat in the back to avoid gaining the teacher's attention, could now see the blackboard as if he were sitting in the front row, and he could smell his individual classmates' scents—some of whom he REALLY thought could use a bath—as well as what was being cooked for lunch in the cafeteria. He was pretty sure his sense of touch and taste were improved too.

By the time the bell rang for lunch, which nearly deafened the poor boy, Naruto's head felt like it was splitting in half. Taking his lunch that his mom had given him before he left for school, the blonde wandered out into the school courtyard, seeking a nice quiet place to have his lunch. He picked a big, shady tree on the edge of the courtyard and sat leaning against it as he ate.

When lunch ended, Naruto's headache was nearly gone, and feeling grateful for that, he made his way to his next class. It was back, unfortunately, by the end of the day, and he fell asleep in his bed the minute he got home.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

"Naruto? Naruto!" Kushina called as she gently shook her son. "Naruto! Wake up! It's dinnertime!"

The boy in question woke up wincing at the loud assault of his mother's voice. "Mom, please be quiet," he whined as he grabbed a pillow and covered his head with it.

Kushina looked at her husband who was leaning on the doorframe watching his wife and son. Shrugging, he said, "Maybe he's sick. Let me try."

Minato, who was much quieter in tone than his wife, crouched by the bed near his son's head. He put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, and asked, "Naruto? Are you okay?"

Naruto uncovered his head a bit to look at his father. "Yeah. Things are just too loud today for some reason. Gave me a headache."

"Oh, my poor baby! What's wrong?!" Kushina shouted, causing Naruto to smash the pillow to his head so hard it was like he was trying to make it one with his head. Suddenly, though, he found himself being pulled from his bed and shaken as his now angry mother yelled, "Do you have a hangover?! Is that why your ears are so sensitive?! You're too young to drink! Why would you—"

"Kushina!" Minato hissed quietly as he grabbed her arm to stop her shaking their son. "You're just making it worse!"

The redheaded woman gasped and released her son, and he fell back on his bed with swirls in his eyes. "Oh, Naruto, I'm so sorry!" she whispered.

Naruto grabbed his head and managed to sit up. "It's okay, Mom. I can see why you'd think that. But I promise you guys that's not it. I haven't been drinking. It's just...a bit of a migraine. It'll go away soon, I think." Mentally, he said, _"I hope."_

Kushina sat down on the bed next to him and ran her hands through her son's hair to soothe him. Naruto leaned over and laid his head on his mom's shoulder, feeling better already. With a gentle smile on his face, Minato sat on Naruto's other side and rubbed his son's back.

"Naruto, supper's ready. You feel like eating?" the older blonde asked quietly.

Naruto sniffed and knew his mom made ramen, and his stomach growled instantly in response. The three of them chuckled quietly.

"I guess that's a yes," Kushina said as she helped her son up.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

After dinner, Naruto thanked his mom for the food before making his way back to his room. He barely managed to shower, brush his teeth, and put on pajamas before collapsing on his bed again. Instantly, he was sound asleep.

Meanwhile, Kushina and Minato stood in their son's bedroom doorway looking concerned.

"Kushina, correct me if I'm wrong, but was our son wearing make-up?" Minato asked.

"Yeah, it looked like my concealer, and it was smudged on his face. I think I saw a bit on his pillow earlier too," she replied.

The blonde ran a hand through his spiky locks and sighed. "And did you notice his alarm clock?"

"Is that what all those pieces on his nightstand and the floor next to it were?"

"I believe so."

"Oh dear..."

"Yeah, so our son's wearing make-up, killing his alarm clock, and having extremely sensitive hearing problems," Minato summarized.

"What is going on?" they both asked simultaneously.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The next morning, Naruto awoke headache-free and feeling much better. And it didn't take him long to notice that his hearing wasn't quite as sensitive as it was the previous day.

_"Maybe it's just the initial transformation or something like that. If that's what's happening to me, that is," _Naruto guessed.

He got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. Seeing his whisker-marks were still there on his face in the mirror, Naruto sneaked into his parents' room for the make-up again. However, just as he was about to put it on, he heard the door close behind him, and looking up at the mirror in front of him, he could see his parents behind him with their arms crossed and stern looks on their faces.

"Naruto, what're you doing with my make-up?" Kushina asked.

"N-Nothing, Mom! Just gotta zit that I'd like to hide. Hehe," he laughed nervously while keeping his head down and not looking back at them.

"Since when do you get zits, son?" Minato inquired as he moved closer to Naruto.

"And why would you need to hide it now? School's over and your dad and I don't care if you've got a zit," the redheaded woman added as she followed her husband.

Naruto cringed lower, trying to keep his face hidden. "I-I-It just looks r-really bad, so I—"

He was cut off as Minato grabbed his son's chin and lifted his head. The older blonde gasped. "Naruto, what in the world?"

"WHAT IS ON YOUR FACE?!" Kushina shrieked in rage. "DID YOU GET A TATTOO?! WHY ON YOUR FACE?! AND WHY WHISKERS?!"

Naruto quickly stood up and waved his hands defensively in front of himself. "No! They're not tattoos! They're—" He suddenly remembered Kurama's words. _"'You must never tell anyone about this except for those you fully trust with all your heart. If you tell just anyone, you'll more than likely end up a lab rat like me.' ...I trust Mom and Dad with all my heart, but I don't think they could handle me telling them where these marks came from. Aside from getting in trouble for sneaking into restricted areas of OrochiCorp Laboratories, they'd probably think I had some kind of disease or that I was about to die or something. No, telling them will just make 'em worry... What do I do...?"_

"We're waiting, Naruto," his father said sternly as he just barely managed to calm down his wife to the point she didn't start shaking Naruto like the night before. "If they're not tattoos, then what are they?"

Naruto sighed. "Sorry, Dad, Mom. They really are tattoos. I snuck off at one point during the field trip yesterday to have them done."

"How when you're not old enough?" Minato asked as he was now physically restraining his wife.

"Lied about my age, Dad. They didn't really care to check if it was true," Naruto lied.

"Kushina, calm down at least for a second," Minato whispered to her. She complied, and the blonde man walked closer to Naruto and peered closely at the whisker marks. "These seem well-healed for new tattoos." He lightly slapped the marks and noted that his son didn't even flinch. "And they don't hurt at all either..."

Naruto looked into his dad's suspicious eyes. "What can I say, Dad? I just heal fast."

"Hmm..."

"Well, if I'm lying about them being tattoos, what else could they be?" Naruto asked.

Minato rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I guess you're right about that. So that means you, an underage minor, went and got tattooed without your mother's or my permission."

Swallowing hard, Naruto looked down at the floor and nodded. He heard his father sigh.

"Naruto, I just gotta ask: Why?"

A somewhat clever reason suddenly came to the boy's mind that he was fairly certain might make his parents a little more sympathetic to him. "Well, I wanted to be more unique, I guess, and I chose whiskers 'cause, well, being a prankster, I thought, 'If I trick people like a fox, why not look like one?'"

Minato raised an eyebrow. "And you didn't think that people might think you were going for looking like a cat?"

"No," Naruto shook his head. "But you know me, Dad. I never really think anything 100 percent all the way through."

The blonde boy suddenly found himself being pulled into his mother's arms. She held onto him tight as she stroked his hair. He had looked so sad and so sorry that Kushina couldn't help but feel compelled to comfort her baby, even if he was 15 years old and now taller than her.

"I guess we can't get rid of them now," Kushina said quietly as her son returned the embrace. "What's done is done. But, Naruto," she pushed him off a little so as to look at his face, "don't do this kind of thing again. Do you hear me?" Naruto nodded, and she said, "Good! Now, it's time for breakfast. I'll see you downstairs." She gave him another quick hug before turning and leaving the room.

Naruto looked at his dad, who was still standing there looking at his son with a stern expression. Minato's face quickly changed into a smile, though, and he ruffled his son's hair. "See you downstairs, Naruto. Finish getting ready first, although," he took the bottle of concealer and replaced the cap before putting it back where his wife kept it on her dresser. "Please do it without putting on make-up." He grimaced slightly.

"Yes, sir!" Naruto said happily with a salute. "I didn't like wearing that girly crap anyway."

"Good to hear, son," Minato laughed. "See you downstairs."

In the kitchen, Kushina looked at Minato as he walked into the room. He sighed and said, "You know we still need to punish him for this."

Kushina nodded sadly. Despite her short temper and tendency to shake or punch her son and husband over the head as an initial reaction when they did something wrong, she didn't enjoy punishing her child at all. "What would you suggest?"

"Hmm," Minato paused to think. "Well, grounding him seems a bit pointless. He doesn't have a girlfriend currently, and his only friend Arashi doesn't come by or ask Naruto to do anything all that often."

"Maybe we could just take away his video games for awhile. He seems sorry for what he did anyway," Kushina suggested.

"I guess that could work. A month without games still seems pretty lenient," Minato said.

"A month?! Why so long?" the redhead asked her husband incredulously.

"Kushina, he got a tattoo! If that's even what they really are!" Minato argued.

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'if that's even what they really are'?"

Minato sighed. "I don't know. I don't like doubting our boy, but I get the feeling there's something he's not telling us. Tattoos don't heal that fast, and that doesn't explain the weird bout of sensitive hearing and the smashed alarm clock. So if they're not actually tattoos, we're still punishing him for lying."

Now it was Kushina's turn to sigh. "I guess you're right. I hate punishing him, though, especially the first day of his summer vacation."

"I know," Minato said as he pulled his wife into a hug. "But no one said being a parent was easy. And we'd be bad ones if we actually enjoyed punishing our kid."

"True," she replied as she hugged him tighter.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

A month later, Naruto was happily playing his video games again for the first time since his summer vacation started. When his parents first handed down their punishment, he was upset and angry. Not so much at his parents—he knew they were being rather lenient, and he understood their side. They thought he had gone off and done something big that he wasn't legally old enough for, and while that wasn't the truth, he still felt he deserved the punishment for lying to them. No, what he was mad at was the stupid fox that had decided to cause his problems without even asking him first. Halfway through the first week, though, Naruto decided being angry about it wasn't helping and chose to use his time training himself to control his new abilities.

Over the next three and a half weeks, Naruto discovered that he could grow his nails and teeth longer at will, and that his nails could cut through metal. He also learned he could run up to 40 mph (64.37 kph)—he tested that by running next to cars he was pretty sure were going the speed limit while making sure no one could tell who he was of course—and that he could jump as high as his two-storey house and was strong enough to bend a crowbar with his bare hands. All in addition to his enhanced senses, which he could now control at will.

In short, the teen felt indestructible. Or as he put it after training one day, "a total badass".

As he sat in his room playing a video game, he started wondering what he should do with his new abilities. _"I'm pretty unstoppable...most people would probably choose a life of crime in my shoes. I mean after all," _he chuckled aloud, _"bullets may still work on me, but they'd have to catch me first."_ He paused in his thinking as he listened to the main character of the game talk to his uncle. The game was about a superhero, who was the main character, and he was currently having the same problem as Naruto about what to do with his power. Then the character's uncle said something that not only stuck with the superhero, but with Naruto as well.

"With great power comes great responsibility."

The uncle went on to explain that when one is in a position of power, they should do everything they can to help people and protect them, and that one is truly strong when fighting to protect the people they care about.

_"I wonder if that's what I should do. Crime isn't really my style anyway... But a superhero?"_ Naruto shook his head. "Argh...! This is too weird for me!" Pausing his game, he laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. _"Then again, things stopped being normal when I walked into a room full of oversized animal experiments. Maybe I should just go with it. Normal's boring anyway...I'd need something to hide who I am, though, obviously. And what should I be? A superhero's gotta have a cool name. Let's see...I got my abilities from a fox, so Fox Boy?"_ he cringed. _"Ugh. No. Fox-Man? No, that's still kinda lame. Perhaps if I added something else to the fox part..."_ He sat up again and looked around his room.

Due to his fascination with ninjas, Naruto had a bunch of ninja weapons displayed around his room. Kunai, shuriken, swords of various types and sizes, and even a genuine outfit that he'd worn a couple times for Halloween. And he not only owned these weapons, but trained to use each kind as well.

Naruto chuckled a little as he got up from his bed and looked at all his ninja paraphernalia. "So something with 'fox' and 'ninja' or 'shinobi' in it. Fox Ninja? Fox Shinobi? Shinobi Fox? Hmm...possibly the third one, but not quite." He rubbed his chin in thought. "...Something with 'kitsune' might work. Kitsune Shinobi? Kitsune Ninja? ...Yeah! I like that one! Kitsune Ninja!" He laughed and grabbed his ninja outfit out of the closet. It was a traditional outfit—mask that covered the whole head except for the eyes, black shirt with a mesh armor beneath it, black gloves and pants, and black sandals that cover the entire foot except the toes. Naruto had saved for a long time to buy a genuine ninja outfit, and now he had the chance to really use it. But first, he wanted to make a few small modifications. Turning off his game, he got to work.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Two weeks later, Naruto was done. The kanji for 'kitsune' was sewn in dark orange thread on the back of the shirt, and he had altered the gloves to allow his nails—or claws as he was calling them now—to come through while making sure his fingertips were still covered. He knew it'd defeat the purpose of hiding his identity if he left anything like fingerprints behind. He also made an equipment pouch and shuriken holster out of black leather to carry his weapons. The pouch was to be worn on the back of his left hip, and the holster on the side of his right thigh. He considered carrying a sword as well, but decided against it for the time being.

However, just as he was about to start his life of crime-fighting, Naruto's parents told him something that would put his plans on hold and change the next two years of his life.

"Naruto, would you please come down here?" his mother called from the kitchen.

"Sure! Just give me a second!" he yelled back as he hid his costume in the closet. He walked downstairs and into the kitchen only to stop dead in his tracks at his parents' serious faces. "W-What's up, guys? Am I in trouble?"

Kushina crossed her arms. "Is there a reason you should be?"

"N-No! Not that I can think of. But you guys look like I did something," Naruto quickly defended himself.

"It's nothing you did, son. Just sit down here and listen. Your mother and I have something to tell you," his father said while taking a seat at the table. Kushina sat on the side opposite him. Naruto took the seat on the end of the table between his parents.

There was a long silence before Minato spoke again. "Naruto, we're sending you to live with your grandparents in Konoha."

"W-What?!" Naruto sputtered. "Why?!"

"Naruto sweetie, calm down," Kushina said as she took his hand and held it. "Your father and I have something important we have to do, and as much as we'd like to, we can't take you with us."

"You have to stay and finish school," Minato explained before his son could ask why again. "And we don't feel comfortable leaving you here alone, and it's not that we don't trust you—we do."

"We just don't want you to be alone," Kushina continued for her husband. "Staying here by yourself would get very lonely, so we'd like you to live with your grandparents while we're gone." Seeing Naruto's sad face, Kushina quickly added, "It won't be so bad! Maybe you'll make more friends there, and you've always liked the big city better than this town anyway!"

"That's true," Naruto nodded. "But I'm gonna miss you guys." His voice was quiet and sad as he just stared at the tabletop. Kushina moved her chair closer to hug him, and Minato got up to join them.

"It'll be okay, son," Minato said, though his voice betrayed him as it caught in his throat.

Kushina was fighting back tears. "We'll be back as soon as we can, Naruto! We promise!"

"What do you guys have to do anyway?" Naruto asked, biting his lip to keep from crying as well.

Minato shook his head. "We can't say, Naruto. We'll tell you about it when we get back, but for now, we can't say anything."

"You really will come back, though, right?" the boy asked with worry. Whatever they had to do sounded dangerous if they couldn't tell him about it.

"Definitely. We'll definitely make it back to you, son," Minato reassured him.

Nodding, Naruto said, "Okay then. When are you guys leaving? And when am I going to Konoha?"

Kushina was crying now, so Minato answered, "Tomorrow. We're taking you to your grandparents, and then leaving from there."

Naruto looked up at his dad in shock. "Why so soon?!"

"What we have to do is rather urgent. We don't want you to worry—we WILL come home again. But it's something we can't delay," the older blonde told him.

"If you're gonna make it back, why's mom crying?" Naruto asked his father while fighting harder to stop his own tears, which were starting to make it down his face.

"Same reason you are, son. She doesn't want to be apart from you for so long," Minato told the half-truth as tears pricked at his own eyes. In reality, what he and his wife had to do was dangerous, and there was a possibility that they wouldn't make it. But he didn't want his son to worry, and there was no way he and his wife would let something keep them from coming back home to their son again.

Naruto didn't press the issue even though he suspected the other half of the truth. He might be clueless most times, but he could tell when his parents were hiding something just as they could tell when he was. Disentangling himself from his parents' arms, Naruto got up from his seat.

"I'll go and get packed," he said as he wiped his eyes and headed upstairs to his room.

Minato stood up straight and helped his wife up. He held her in his arms for a minute while stroking her hair before saying, "Come on, Kushina. We should get ready to go too."

She dried her eyes and nodded and followed her husband upstairs.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The next day, after a long and solemn car ride to Konoha, Naruto, Kushina, and Minato stood in the home of Naruto's grandparents—Minato's mother and father—Tsunade and Jiraiya Namikaze. Naruto had just put his stuff in the guest room, which was the only room on the second floor besides a bathroom, and now he was saying goodbye to his mom and dad.

Kushina pulled her son into a hug. "Goodbye, Naruto. We love you."

She released him, and Minato hugged him next. "We'll be back as soon as we can, son. Be good for your grandma and grandpa."

"I will," Naruto sniffed. "You guys be safe and make sure you come back. I love you, Mom, Dad."

Minato tightened his embrace before releasing him and ruffled his son's hair. Kushina then kissed Naruto's whiskered cheek and hugged him one last time before she and her husband walked out the door and got into their car. As Naruto watched them drive away, his grandparents each put an arm around him to comfort him.

"Don't worry, Naruto. They'll be back before you know it," Tsunade said in an attempt to comfort the boy.

"Yeah, nothing can stop that son of ours or his wife!" Jiraiya declared with a cheerful grin.

Naruto just nodded sadly before heading up to his room. Tsunade started to go after him, but Jiraiya stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Let him be for now, Tsunade. I'm sure the gaki will cheer up in no time," he said.

"I hope you're right," was her only reply as she leaned against him.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

A week had passed before Naruto felt better enough to venture out into the big city, and since he had only a week left of his summer vacation, he decided he should make the most of it and try to make some friends if he met any kids his own age. He wandered the city for hours, stopping at arcades and comic book stores and he even came across a ramen stand that he declared after only the first bite was the best ramen in the world. But in all this time, he still hadn't met anyone his own age. Sure, he'd seen a couple guys in the arcade that looked around 15 or 16 years old, but he didn't approach them as they were hanging out together and just felt it would be too awkward to do that.

Feeling lonely, Naruto decided to take a walk through a park before heading home. He checked his phone to see if Arashi had texted him back, but sadly he hadn't.

_"Feh. He's hardly said anything back to me the entire vacation. Didn't even say goodbye when I left. Some friend,"_ Naruto grumbled sadly in his mind.

He was broken from his thoughts, however, when he suddenly heard what sounded like a girl yelp in pain. Focusing his enhanced auditory sense, he then heard a male voice say, "Serves you right for ruining my shirt."

"Hey, boss," another one said. "Look at her eyes! She's one of those stuck-up Hyuuga!"

"Yeah, you're right. Bet she thinks she didn't do anything wrong by gettin' ice cream on me," the one called "boss" growled.

"Let's teach her a lesson!" a third on exclaimed.

Naruto ran toward the voices, which were coming from the other side of a small group of trees. As he made it through the small wooded area, he saw three guys surrounding a young girl about his age. She was terrified and crying, and the guy in the middle pushed her down.

"Get down on your knees and beg my forgiveness!" he yelled at her. From his voice, Naruto could tell this was the one called "boss".

"I-I-I-I'm s-s-sorry!" the girl cried in a quiet voice.

"I can't hear you! Speak louder!"

"I-I-I'm s-sorry!" she cried again a bit louder.

"You Hyuuga think you're so much better than everyone else. I'm gonna teach you that you're not worth crap!" the "boss" shouted as he took a step toward the girl. However, he suddenly found himself flying backward, feeling as if his face had just been hit by a truck.

The other two guys stared at their leader in shock before turning back around to see Naruto still holding his fist out from when he punched the "boss". The Hyuuga girl looked up from the ground to see the spiky-haired blonde boy in the long black cloak standing before her with his back to her.

Pulling back his fist, Naruto growled at the three bullies, and the leader sat up holding his face as the young hero-to-be said, "You jerks wanna fight somebody so bad, how 'bout you fight me?"

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Let me know if you like the story! If you don't, then don't waste my time or yours!


	2. Becoming a Hero

Thank you, all of you who have followed, favorited, and/or reviewed this story! Glad you're all liking it. Now as is my tradition, I will answer reviews, and then get on with the chapter.

**The Guest who wanted me to write more**: Of course I will make more! I will continue each story I have until the end as long as I am able. I don't want to be one of those people who leaves stories unfinished. And thank you for liking the story!

**Like it (Guest)**: I'm glad you like it! Thank you! But what do you mean "even if it turns out to be Spider Man in disguise"? I take it you don't like Spiderman? Not that I'm a huge fan of it (I like some of the movies but that's about it)—I'm just curious if that's what you meant. And I'm not sure how it would be Spiderman in disguise. Naruto's not gonna start slinging webs all over Konoha. He climbs buildings with his claws and runs across roofs, but no web-slinging. And honestly, I'm not familiar enough with the whole Spiderman story and all his enemies to keep this story close to that even if I wanted to, which I don't. I'm gonna try to be fairly original here. Hope you continue to like it! ^^

**thor94**: Thanks. Minato and Kushina will be doing some stuff on the side, but it will be important to the overall story. Naruto and Kurama will meet again, but I don't know if Kurama will live with him. Not saying it won't happen, but I'll have to really think about how Naruto's going to hide a horse-sized fox in the middle of the big city. Hahaha.

**MYK-ON**: Thanks! Hope you like this one as well. ^_^

**Shadow (Guest)**: You asked me not to kill off Minato and Kushina. Well, I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say this: I like happy endings, and I consider real life to have enough sad. Fiction shouldn't be super sad in my opinion. So hopefully that alleviates your concerns without spoiling anything. :)

**Chewie Cookies**: Thanks! And it's dudette, by the way. I am in fact a lady just for future reference. :) Probably should write out my profile sometime, but that would take time away from writing new chapters. Can't do that to myself or the awesome people who are enjoying my stories. ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, this wouldn't be a fanfic. This would be an alternate canon story to the original ninja story (which would have a few changes as well).

Now for Chapter 2!

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The three bullies stared down the blonde boy standing between them and the girl they had been tormenting moments earlier. The leader got to his feet with a feeling that his face was fractured slightly as the other two backed away from Naruto a bit to stand closer to their boss.

"Don't get so cocky just 'cause you managed to get a sucker-punch in, coward," the boss snarled.

"Coward? You guys are the ones pickin' on someone who isn't even fighting back. What's more, you made her cry! You guys are lower than garbage, ya know!" Naruto shouted as he crouched into his fighting stance.

"Pah! I can't believe you'd even defend one of those stuck-up Hyuugas!" the boss scoffed. "Boys, let's show this idiot the error of his ways."

He cracked his knuckles menacingly, but Naruto just smirked. The two lackeys rushed at the blonde, one swinging high at his face while the other aimed for his stomach. Naruto ducked under the first and grabbed the second's fist, which he used to pull the bully forward and land a punch square in his face, breaking his nose. As he fell to the ground, the hero-to-be swiftly turned back to the first lackey in time to block a kick.

Naruto held the guy's leg and pulled him upwards and off his other foot. The bully fell backward, and Naruto rammed his fist into the guy's stomach as he went down. With one bully on the ground holding his bleeding, broken face and the other clutching his stomach while coughing up a little blood, the whisker-faced young man turned to face the boss, who wasn't looking too happy with the situation.

"So what're you gonna do, big guy?" Naruto taunted. "Thought you said I was the coward here."

"Grr! You obnoxious little maggot! I'll take you down myself!" the boss roared. He charged at Naruto and threw a punch. The hero-to-be just moved his head to the side and grabbed the boss's arm. Then punching the arm, Naruto broke the upper-arm bone with a resounding crack, and the boss fell to his knees, screaming in pain.

"You little bastard! You'll pay for this!" he shrieked while holding his broken arm.

"Yeah, yeah. Why don't you morons get outta here before I make your day worse?" Naruto said coldly.

The three bullies shakily got to their feet and began to limp away. However, before they were out of sight, the boss turned back and shouted, "Don't think this is over! We'll get you for this!"

Then he and his lackeys were gone.

"Idiots," Naruto grumbled. Then he turned back to the girl, who was still kneeling on the ground and staring at him, wide-eyed. He made his way back over to her and offered his hand to help her up as he asked, "Are you okay?"

She gave him a barely perceptible nod and took his hand, and for a moment, they just stared at each other.

The Hyuuga girl had long indigo hair that reached her waist except for her bangs which framed her face. Her skin was like porcelain aside from the light dusting of red on her cheeks, and despite her baggy purple T-shirt, it was easy to see she was well-endowed. But what Naruto noticed most of all was her eyes, which looked like two lavender pearls. He found himself getting lost in them as she stared back.

The girl in turn saw Naruto's wild golden locks, tan skin, strong jaw, and well-toned body as well as the whisker-marks that she couldn't help but think of as adorable. But like Naruto, she noticed his eyes most of all. They were like two ocean pools that she was more than happy to drown in.

Naruto was the first to break the stare. "S-Sorry," he muttered while blushing as he pulled her to her feet. She immediately yelped in pain and fell forward onto Naruto's muscular chest, causing her face to look more like a tomato. The blonde boy held her up in his strong arms as he blushed redder as well. However, his concern overrode his embarrassment, and he asked, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

The Hyuuga girl looked up at him and quickly jumped back when she saw how close his face was to hers. She limped on her right foot and nearly fell again, but Naruto held her up by her arms. "I-I-I'm f-f-fine," she stuttered in reply, though in the back of her mind, she was happy her old habit of fainting when she got too nervous hadn't decided to resurface now. "I-I th-think I j-j-just h-hurt my a-ankle."

"Oh. Well, here. Let me help you over to a bench," Naruto offered. She nodded and held onto his arm as he helped her limp over to the nearest seat. Once she sat down, he said, "There. Now, do you mind if I take a look at your ankle?" She shook her head, and he knelt down and lifted the end of the left pant leg of her jeans up enough to show her ankle. Due to his grandmother being a rather successful surgeon—as well as having numerous injuries during his rambunctious childhood—Naruto could tell right away that the ankle was most likely sprained, but not broken. "Hmm. It's already starting to swell. Tell you what, if you come with me back to my house, my grandma could take a look at this and help make it better. What d'ya say?"

"Um, w-who is your g-grandmother? A-A-And w-who are y-you b-by the way?" she asked timidly.

Naruto sweat-dropped. "Oh, right. Sorry. My name's Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze. And my grandma's Tsunade Namikaze."

The girl's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "_Th-The_ Tsunade N-Namikaze? Th-The best s-surgeon in the L-Land of Fire?"

"Yup! The one and only!" Naruto replied proudly with a happy grin. "I bet she could have you feeling better in no time, Miss...?"

"O-Oh! I-I'm sorry! M-My name's H-Hinata H-Hyuuga," the bluenette answered with a small bow of her head.

"Ah, well, nice to meet you, Hinata!" Naruto said cheerfully as he took her hand and shook it. "So do you want me to take you to see my grandma?"

"S-Sure. I-If it's not t-t-too much t-trouble, that is," she replied quietly as she fidgeted with her fingers.

"No trouble at all! But I'll have to carry you," Naruto told her, blushing slightly again.

"W-What?!" she squeaked.

"W-Well, you can't walk there, and I don't want you to have to hobble all the way there, ya know. I live at least three blocks away," he answered quickly.

Hinata's face was crimson again, but she nodded. "O-Okay, I-I g-guess."

Turning away from her as he still knelt on the ground, Naruto said, "Okay, just climb on my back."

Struggling to keep conscious, Hinata slid from the bench onto Naruto's back, putting her arms loosely around his neck as he grabbed a hold under her knees to make sure he didn't grab too high-up on her legs. He wasn't a pervert like his grandfather Jiraiya. Then the blonde stood up and started the walk home with Hinata riding piggyback.

A few minutes of silence passed before Naruto decided to break it. "So, Hinata," he began. "Do you go to school here or are you homeschooled?"

"I-I go to s-school a-at Konoha High. I-I-I'll be a s-sophomore this y-year," she answered.

"Really?! Awesome! I'll be a sophomore this year too," Naruto told her, briefly looking back over his shoulder at her and smiling.

Hinata gave him a small smile in return. "M-Maybe I c-could sh-show you around then," she offered shyly.

With a nod, Naruto replied, "You would? Thanks, Hinata. I'd really appreciate it. I've never been to a big city school before."

"I-I-It's the l-least I can do f-for you s-saving me. Th-Thank you v-very much by the w-way," she said quietly as she unconsciously tightened her hold around his neck a little bit, bringing herself a little closer to him.

"Hey, don't mention it! I can't stand seeing someone being bullied, and I'm just glad I got there before they could do anything more, ya know. But if you don't mind my asking, what happened exactly?"

Hinata's gaze fell to the side toward the ground. "I-I was t-taking a walk through the p-park when I t-tripped a-and the ice cream I w-was eating l-landed on th-that guy's shirt. I-I stood up to ap-pologize, b-but my ankle hurt s-so bad that I y-yelled. Th-That's when he p-pushed me down and—"

"Ah, okay. I saw everything after that. You don't have to tell me anymore," Naruto interrupted her gently, not wanting to make her have to think about that again right now. "Those guys are real jerks, but don't worry, Hinata. You just stick with me, and I'll knock the teeth outta anyone who tries to hurt you!"

Hinata smiled at that for a moment, but it faded as she asked, "N-Naruto? W...Why would do that f-for m-me?"

"Huh? Well...I don't know. I mean, why not? Friends help each other, right?"

"Y-Yes, they do."

"And you wouldn't mind being friends with me, would you?" Naruto asked nervously, afraid that she'd say that she did mind. He didn't want to go without friends like he had in his hometown.

"N-No! I-I w-wouldn't mind th-that at all!" she quickly reassured him. _"Or more than that once I get to know you better,__"_ she thought with a blush. "I-I just d-don't know why y-you'd want to b-be friends with m-me. I-I'm n-nothing special."

"Oh, I don't know about that. So far, I know you're pretty, nice, and shy—all good things as far as I'm concerned. And I would like to hang out with you and get to know you better," he grinned at her with a blush of his own.

_"He thinks I__'m pretty?__"_ She smiled as well while her blush deepened a little, but asked, "W-Why is b-being shy a g-good thing?"

Naruto shrugged. "Well, it's better than being brash and loud like me. I know I tend to get on people's nerves." He chuckled dryly.

"A-Are you k-kidding? I-I think I would rather be l-like you. I-It'd be better th-than being n-nervous all the time," she said sadly.

"All the more reason for us to hang out then, ya know!" Naruto replied, trying to cheer her up. "Maybe our attitudes will rub off on each other and balance each other out."

She nodded. "M-Maybe," she said, and they smiled at each other.

They continued on in a companionable silence until they reached Naruto's house, and Hinata observed it as they approached the door. The house was nowhere near as big as the mansion she lived in, but it was still a decent-sized home. From the outside, she could tell it was mostly one story—the second story was maybe one or two rooms at best, and she was correct in her assumption as the second story consisted of Naruto's bedroom and his own bathroom. There was another bedroom besides Jiraiya and Tsunade's on the ground floor, but it had been converted into a study for Jiraiya. It was smaller than the room they gave Naruto anyway, and the upstairs room would give the boy a bit more privacy—something they knew most teenagers desired and appreciated greatly.

Coming in through the front door, Hinata looked around some more. They were in a small foyer with the doorway to the living room to their left, the dining room to the right, and the hall leading to the rest of the house in front.

Naruto closed the door with his foot and announced, "I'm home!" before taking the girl over to the living room. He let her down gently off his back and helped her sit on the couch, lifting her injured foot and placing it on a pillow on the coffee table. "You should keep it elevated," he explained, even though she knew what he was doing. She had had sprained ankles before. Naruto looked at her and asked with a smile, "Comfy?"

"Y-Yes, th-thank you," she answered with a shy smile.

"Okay then. I'm gonna go find Granny. Just wait here," he told her and left the room, turning to the right to go down the hall.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya came out of the dining room and saw the blue-haired girl sitting on the couch in the living room. He grinned and thought, _"Hey, hey! Naruto__'s first time out in the city since he got here, and he already found himself a pretty girl. That__'s my boy!__"_ he let out a quiet, but perverted, chuckle. Controlling his grin, he walked over to the girl. "Hey there!" he greeted her.

Hinata looked up in surprise. "H-Hello, s-sir," she returned the greeting. She assumed the large man with long spiky white hair tied in a ponytail and the unusual red lines coming from beneath his eyes to his jaw was Naruto's grandfather. He was wearing a long-sleeved light-green shirt underneath a red vest, black pants, and flat wooden sandals.

"I take it you're a friend of Naruto's?" he asked.

"Y-Yes. M-My name's H-Hinata Hyuuga. N-Naruto s-saved me from some b-bullies in the p-park, and brought m-me here so Dr. Tsunade c-could look at my a-ankle," the shy girl explained.

Jiraiya's eyebrows shot up in surprise for a moment. _"So he not only found a pretty girl, but he even saved her. Hehehe! I could totally use this for my new book! I gotta get her to tell me the story before Naruto gets back.__"_ He held out his hand, which Hinata took and shook it as he said, "I'm Jiraiya Namikaze, Naruto's grandpa. Nice to meet you, Hinata." He smiled at her. "So, my grandson saved you from some bullies, huh? Please, tell me about it," he requested as he sat in a chair next to the couch and took out a notepad.

"O-Okay..."

Meanwhile, Naruto found Tsunade in her home office further in the house. He barged in without knocking much to the annoyance of his grandmother, who was sitting in her office chair working on her computer.

But before she could express her irritation, Naruto said, "Granny! Come with me to the living room! I need you to help my friend."

"Your friend?" she asked as she stood up. "What friend is this, and what's wrong with them?"

"Her name's Hinata, and I met her in the park," Naruto explained. "Her ankle's hurt, so I carried her back here, hoping you could help her. Please, Granny?"

Tsunade nodded. "Of course, Naruto. Lead the way." She grabbed a first-aid kit and followed her grandson to the living room.

Naruto was mortified when he walked back into the living room and found his grandfather taking notes in his notepad as Hinata relayed the story of how Naruto saved her. Getting over his shock, the boy walked up behind his grandfather silently and ripped the notepad out of his hands and started tearing up the pages.

"Oi, Naruto! What do you think you're doing?!" Jiraiya shouted as he jumped up from his chair.

"Not letting you use me and Hinata for one of your pervy books, that's what!" Naruto yelled back.

"What?! That's not what I—"

"JIRAIYA!" Tsunade roared as she interrupted her husband with a punch to the head. "That's the only thing you use that notepad for, so it's no use lying! Don't use our grandson for that!"

Jiraiya rubbed his head and pouted. "Moh, Tsunade!" he whined. "You should hear the story! It would be so perfect for my new book!" In a dramatic voice, he continued, "A young man, new to the city and feeling lonely, wanders through a park and hears a young woman scream. Rushing to see what the matter is, he finds her surrounded by thugs, threatening to take her virtue. Valiantly, the young man takes down each brute, and the young woman runs to him as she declares her love for him for saving her. The hero then sweeps her off her feet, kisses her passionately, and then—"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?!" Naruto screamed, his face completely red now, and he was beyond mortified. Meanwhile, Hinata lost the battle with consciousness and fainted as Tsunade face-palmed. "That's not what happened at all! I just helped her from three guys who wanted to beat her up! Not do what you said they were going to! AND SHE AND I ARE JUST FRIENDS!"

"Okay, okay. Calm down, Naruto. I was just taking a dramatic flair on the story," Jiraiya defended himself.

Tsunade sighed and smacked her husband upside the head. "Jiraiya, if you're done embarrassing our grandson and his friend, don't you have something you should be taking care of right now?" She glared meaningfully at him.

"Oh, right!" he exclaimed with a snap of his fingers. He looked at the unconscious girl before turning to leave. "I'll go do that now. When Hinata wakes up, tell her I'm sorry for making her faint."

Once he was out of the room, Naruto sighed, and Tsunade let out a small chuckle. "It's not funny, Granny!" the boy pouted.

"Like heck it isn't," she laughed again. But then she cleared her throat and became a little more serious as Naruto glared at her. "Alright, come on, gaki. Let's wake your friend up and fix her ankle."

Tsunade took out some smelling salts from the first-aid kit and held them under the young girl's nose. Wrinkling her nose, Hinata woke up and saw Naruto and Tsunade watching her, her face turning red again at seeing the former.

"Hinata, I'm so sorry!" Naruto apologized fearfully as he looked at her with pleading eyes. He was sure his grandfather had just succeeded in scaring his new friend away. "He won't actually write that, I promise!"

For her part, Hinata understood why Naruto seemed so scared, and hurried to reassure him. "I-It's okay, N-N-Naruto. I-I-I'm the one w-who t-told him the s-story anyway."

"Yeah, but you didn't know he would do that. I should've warned you about him."

"I-It's r-really okay, N-Naruto. D-Don't worry about it," she said with a light touch on his arm and a smile.

He smiled back hopefully and nodded. Then Tsunade cleared her throat to catch their attention. "Hinata, is it?" she addressed the girl. "I'm Naruto's grandmother, Tsunade Namikaze, and I would also like to apologize for my husband's behavior. He's the author of the Icha Icha Paradise series, and I'm afraid he can get a bit carried away when it comes to researching new plot ideas."

"Can't believe you let him write that pervy crap anyway," Naruto mumbled, but Tsunade ignored him.

Hinata looked at the older woman, and noted with surprise out how young Tsunade looked. She appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties while her husband had looked to be in his fifties. Tsunade had blonde hair of a lighter shade than Naruto tied into low pigtails with her bangs hanging down by her face, and her eyes were honey-brown in color. She wore a sleeveless gray shirt that hugged her body tight and showed her rather large endowment underneath a green jacket and dark blue capris pants and low heeled sandals.

The Hyuuga girl smiled at Tsunade and replied, "I-I understand, M-Mrs. Namikaze. I-I-It's really okay."

"Thank you, Hinata," the older woman said with a grateful smile. "And you may call me 'Tsunade' if you wish. I always hated how old 'Mrs. Namikaze' makes me sound."

"But you really are old, Granny," Naruto brazenly joked, and he barely ducked the fist that was aimed for his head.

A vein bulged on Tsunade's forehead. "I AM NOT OLD!" she bellowed. Calming herself, she told Naruto to go sit while she helped Hinata. Naruto complied, sitting next to Hinata on the couch with a mischievious grin on his face. "Okay, Hinata," Tsunade said, turning her attention back to the girl in question. "I'll check your ankle now and hopefully I can help it heal faster."

"Th-Thank you, Ts-Tsunade."

The doctor confirmed that Hinata's ankle was in fact sprained but thankfully not broken. She wrapped the ankle and took two icepacks and tied them to either side of the ankle to reduce the swelling. Taking out her prescription pad, Tsunade then wrote Hinata a prescription for some pain medication that worked a little better than aspirin at reducing pain and swelling.

"I also have a pair of crutches here at the house that I'll lend to you," Tsunade told her.

"R-Really? Th-Thank you s-so much, Tsunade," Hinata smiled happily.

"No problem. Now, unless there's something else, I have to get back to work," the older woman said as she stood up from where she knelt on the floor as she worked.

"N-No, there's n-nothing else wrong," Hinata replied.

"Okay then. Naruto, let me know if Hinata decides to stay for dinner or if she needs a ride home."

"Will do, Granny! Thanks a bunch!" he said cheerfully.

With a nod, Tsunade left the living room and headed back to her office. Naruto then turned to Hinata and asked, "So what would you like to do now, Hinata?"

The aforementioned girl looked at her phone and checked the time before answering, "W-Well, I don't h-have to be home until d-dinnertime, s-so if y-you don't mind me hanging around a l-little w-while longer, I-I would like t-to st-stay..."

"Mind? Are you kidding? Of course you can!" Naruto nearly shouted in his excitement. Calming himself down a bit, he asked, "What would you like to do, though?"

"Um...y-you choose, N-Naruto. I-I'm fine with w-whatever."

"Okay...hmm... Well, you said you lost your ice cream in the park, and we have some in the fridge. Would you like me to get you some?"

"Th-That sounds g-great, N-Naruto. Thank y-you." She smiled again.

"Alright!" he exclaimed as he jumped up from the couch. "Be right back!" And with that, he rushed off to the kitchen.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

After Jiraiya left the living room, he went into his study and moved a book on his bookshelf, causing it to slide back and then to the side to reveal a staircase that led down to the basement no one but him—and his wife of course—knew about. He stepped inside and pressed a button on the wall above the first step that made the bookcase move back to its original position before heading down the steps. At the bottom, there was a metal door with three scanner locks on it—for DNA, retina, and fingerprints—as well as a keycard lock. Jiraiya unlocked each one, and the metal door slid open, allowing the white-haired man into the room beyond and closing as soon as he was inside.

A large screen dominated the far-side of the room, and computer terminals and other technological equipment were scattered about the room. Going over to one of the terminals, Jiraiya put on a headset and typed in a number on the keyboard.

"Flash, do you read? This is Sennin. What's your status?" Jiraiya spoke into the headset.

There was silence, then some crackling before Minato's voice came back through the earpiece of the headset. "Flash here. Good to hear from you Sennin. Habañero and I have successfully infiltrated and have come in contact with the insurgents. We are working to gain their trust so they'll introduce us to the leader. We'll be in contact once that happens."

"What's your time estimate on that?"

"At best, I'd say three to four months, but they are highly suspicious of everyone, including each other. And with good reason."

"I see. Well, good luck, and stay safe. Oh, and just so you know, the Kit is doing well, Flash. He already made a friend," Jiraiya told him.

There was a pause before Naruto's father replied, "Thanks, Sennin. That's a relief to hear. Tell Kit we'll be in contact as soon as we're able. Flash out." Minato ended the call.

Jiraiya removed his headset and smiled before entering what he had learned into the terminal in front of him.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

"Hope you like chocolate, Hinata. Guess I shoulda asked you first," Naruto said as he came back into the living room and handed the girl her bowl. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"N-No, N-Naruto, this is g-great. Chocolate is m-my favorite," she replied with a smile before taking a bite.

Naruto sat next to her again on the couch and sighed in relief. "Really? Awesome! It's actually my favorite too." He flashed a foxy grin at her.

_"I really like that smile,__"_ Hinata thought wistfully as a blush crossed her face.

_"She__'s really cute, especially when she blushes,__"_ Naruto thought with a blush of his own.

The two quickly looked away from each other, suddenly finding their bowls very interesting. An awkward silence fell for awhile with the only sound being the clinking of metal on glass as the two teens continued to eat their ice cream.

But never being one to stay quiet for long, Naruto broke the silence. "So, Hinata...you like video games?" he asked.

"Hm? O-Oh. Y-Yes, I d-do. M-Most of the g-girls at school th-think I'm a n-nerd because I p-prefer to play v-video games r-rather than chase b-boys," she told him.

"Yeah, you know, I don't get that. Girls at my old school were like that too—flirting with all the guys all the time and thinking video games are stupid. I'd prefer a girlfriend who liked playing games with me rather than just sitting there watching me play and then whining that I wasn't spending any time with her," Naruto ranted a little.

Hinata looked at him for a second before asking, "B-Bad experience?"

"Heh. You could say that," Naruto said dryly. "I've had a few girlfriends in the past who were like that. I'm not saying I'm the perfect guy or the best boyfriend or anything, but with each girl I dated, I did my best to spend time with them and get to know them better. But the problem that usually caused me to break up with them—or vice versa—was they always wanted me to do what they wanted to do and never what I wanted to do. And you'd think it was the end of the world with them the way they acted when I just wanted to play a game for awhile instead of hanging on their every word. Gets annoying, ya know?"

Hinata giggled at his grumpy look, but then her expression became sympathetic. "I-I can sympathize. I haven't had m-many b-boyfriends, but the few I d-dated thought I was w-weird because I like to play video games."

"Seriously? What morons! They have no idea how lucky they were!" Naruto exclaimed, and Hinata blushed at his implication. "Uh, I mean, um... Th-They were lucky to have a girlfriend who likes to play video games. I would love to have a pretty gaming-nerd for a girlfriend..."

Of course, this only caused the poor girl to blush even harder. _"He-He thinks I__'m pretty?! He__'d love to have a girlfriend like me?!__"_

Needing at least a slight change of subject, Naruto quickly said, "So, Hinata, would you like to play a game? I can go get one of my consoles to play on the TV down here."

"W-Well..." she looked at her phone again and frowned in disappointment. "S-Sorry, N-Naruto. I have to get back home. M-My father will be angry if I'm late."

Naruto was disappointed as well, but tried to cover it with a smile. "Okay. I'll go tell Granny, and we'll take you home." He grabbed her empty bowl and stood up.

"W-Wait, N-Naruto," Hinata said as she grabbed his sleeve. He looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. "Um, i-if you want, I-I could give you m-my number and t-text you later. M-Maybe I could show y-you around and introduce you t-to some of my other f-friends."

Naruto grinned happily. "Sure! Sounds great, Hinata! Here's my phone," he replied and handed her said object. "You enter your info into mine, and my info into yours while I go tell Granny you need a ride home."

"O-Okay!" she smiled at him and began trading contact information while he took their bowls to the kitchen and then went to find Tsunade.

Several minutes later, Tsunade, Naruto, Hinata, and Jiraiya, who had tagged along after a quick apology to Hinata for earlier, pulled up to the front of Hinata's house in Tsunade's car. They all got out—Naruto hurrying to help Hinata, who was trying to get used to her crutches—and walked toward the stairs that lead to the massive front door.

_"Wow...__"_ Naruto thought as he looked up at the house. _"So this is what a mansion looks like.__"_ The house was indeed huge—at least 30 bedrooms and an equal amount of bathrooms, and large enough to contain a ballroom and dojo inside. Surrounding the estate was several acres of open, well-maintained ground with a few trees here and there, one of which was particularly close to one side of the house. _"Living here...she__'s practically a princess. Wonder why she__'d want to be my friend,__"_ the blonde teen thought a little dejectedly.

As the four of them started walking up the stairs, Naruto saw Hinata struggling to make it up each step with her crutches. "Hinata, would you like some help? I could carry you to at least the top of the stairs," he offered.

"N-No, that's okay, N-Naruto," she politely declined, even though she really wanted to say yes. "I-I'm going to have to get used to this u-until my ankle heals anyway. B-Besides, i-if my father s-saw you carrying me, h-he might get angry about it."

"Ah. Overprotective, huh?" Naruto asked.

She sighed. "Y-Yeah. Y-You could say that."

The four of them entered the mansion and stepped into the massive foyer that had marble floors and a rather large chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There was also a large staircase opposite the front door and several other doors leading to different rooms and hallways branched off the foyer. The four were soon greeted by the butler, who was rather shocked to see Hinata on crutches with her foot all bandaged and surrounded by icepacks. "L-Lady Hinata! What has happened? Are you all right?" the man asked.

"Y-Yes, I'm f-fine, George. Is m-my father home?" the bluenette replied.

"Yes, milady. He's in his office. Shall I tell him you're home? And who are these people with you?"

"Th-These people h-helped me, and I-I would like my f-father to meet them. W-Will you p-please ask him to m-meet us here?" Hinata requested.

"Of course, milady. Excuse me one moment," the butler said before he bowed to them and left. Less than a minute later, he returned with another man and a boy a little older than Naruto and Hinata in tow.

The man had long brown hair that was tied in a low ponytail, and his eyes were the silvery color of the Hyuuga family. He had a stern face and wore a business suit even though he was at home. The boy who came with him also had long brown hair, but was wearing it loose at the moment. He had Hyuuga eyes as well and wore a dress shirt, jacket, and pants.

_"Huh. I wonder why Hinata__'s eyes are lavender when it seems like the rest of her family has silver-colored eyes,__"_ Naruto wondered for a moment.

Hinata's father interrupted his thoughts as he asked, "Hinata? What is going on? What happened to you, and who are these people?"

"F-Father, this is J-Jiraiya, Tsunade, and N-Naruto Namikaze," Hinata introduced her guests. "And Jiraiya, Tsunade, N-Naruto, this i-is my father, H-Hiashi Hyuuga and m-my cousin N-Neji." The boy, Neji, bowed while his uncle Hiashi shook the Namikazes' hands and exchanged pleasantries. "F-Father, I...I tripped and was a-attacked in the park by three older b-boys. N-Naruto saved me and brought me to his g-grandmother f-for treatment."

Hiashi's eyebrows shot up in surprise for a moment, but his expression quickly returned to its normal stoic state. And Neji eyed Naruto with interest as he wondered just how and why the blonde boy managed to save his cousin.

"I see," Hiashi said to his daughter. He turned to Naruto's grandmother. "Dr. Namikaze, I know of your work. I thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to help my daughter. How bad is her injury?"

"You're welcome, Mr. Hyuuga, and it was really no trouble at all—I always make time for my grandson and his friends. Her injury should be healed in a few days, and there's no reason she can't do normal activities," Tsunade replied with a smile. "I also gave her a prescription for some pain medication that should speed up the healing process."

"Good to hear. Thank you, Doctor," he said with a small incline of his head. Then he turned to Naruto and requested, "Young man, may I have a word with you in private?"

"Huh? Um, s-sure," the boy replied as he followed the older Hyuuga into a room off to the side of the foyer. His grandparents just waited in silence with Hinata and her cousin.

Hiashi closed the door and faced Naruto, who was doing his best not to look nervous at all. "Young man, I want to hear from you how you saved my daughter."

"Um, okay. Well, there's not much to tell. I was walking through the park, I heard her scream, and when I got there, I saw three guys yelling at her and then one of them pushed her down. They said they were gonna teach her a lesson, which I found out later was 'cause she'd accidently thrown her ice cream on one of 'em when she tripped, and I decided to step in," Naruto explained.

"And how exactly did you 'step in'?" Hiashi asked as he crossed his arms.

"I beat them up, sir," Naruto answered. "I can't stand bullies, and I couldn't just stand by and watch them hurt her. So I took them out quickly and sent them limping away."

Hiashi considered the boy for a moment that seemed an eternity to Naruto before speaking again. "And what reward do you think you should receive for helping her?"

"Reward?" Naruto was taken aback. "I don't need any reward, sir, except maybe your permission to keep being her friend."

"That's all you would ask of me? I have plenty of money. Name an amount, and you may have it," Hiashi offered as he took out his checkbook.

Naruto was shocked. _"Seriously?!__"_ he thought for a second. _"...Ya know, the only reason I__'m tempted is just to see his face if I asked for a million-bajillion dollars. But I__'m afraid he__'d think I was serious.__"_ He cleared his throat as he regained his composure. "No, thanks," the blonde politely declined. "I really don't need money, sir, and a reward certainly isn't why I helped your daughter. I just want to keep being friends with her. That's all, please."

Hiashi looked him over again. "You're sure?"

"Yes, sir. Your daughter's very nice, and she's the first friend I've managed to make here. Besides that, money isn't really important to me other than having enough for the stuff I need like food and water and such," Naruto told him sincerely.

Another long moment passed...and then Hiashi's face broke out into a smile. "That's all I need to hear, young man. You have my permission to continue your friendship with my daughter."

Stunned, Naruto managed to say, "Th-Thank you, sir. But what—"

"You'd be surprised at how many people try to get close to my daughter just because she comes from a wealthy family," Hiashi interrupted while putting his checkbook back into his inside jacket pocket. "And how many boys have agreed to give up on courting her in exchange for a sum of money. Not that any of them got it. My daughter broke up with each of them as soon as she learned of their choice."

Naruto shook his head in disgust. "I don't understand how someone could do that. Like a girl just for her money."

"Then you are a rare breed it seems," Hiashi said. "But time will tell how genuine your feelings really are."

"If you mean I might choose her money later, then I'm gonna tell you right now that that's not gonna happen," Naruto replied, not breaking eye-contact with Hiashi to show his sincerity.

"We shall see. But for now, you may continue to be her friend."

"Thank you, sir. May I hang out with her tomorrow?"

Hiashi nodded. "That's up to her. If she doesn't want to, though, it'll most likely be because of her ankle."

"Yeah, I understand. But if she can't go out, is it alright if I come here to hang out with her?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"I see no problem with it. Now let's get back out there before my daughter starts to worry that I've killed you," Hiashi replied with a small chuckle.

The two rejoined the group in the foyer, and Hinata sighed in relief when she saw Naruto was okay. But her stomach instantly twisted into knots again. _"I__'m sure Father just gave him The Test. Are we still friends...or...__"_

Naruto beamed at the girl as he stood in front of her, his smile pulling Hinata from her dark thoughts. "Hey, Hinata, your dad says you and I can keep being friends and that we can hang out tomorrow if you wanna. Or I can come over if you want to hang out but can't leave 'cause of your ankle."

Hinata blinked in surprise, and she looked from Naruto to her father, who just gave her a quick smile, then back to Naruto again. Finding her voice, she said, "Th-That sounds g-g-great, N-Naruto!" She gave him a big smile that made his heart skip a beat.

"Y-Yeah! Just text me whenever you wanna hang out tomorrow or if...ya know, you just wanna talk," Naruto told her somewhat shyly.

"O-Okay!" she replied happily.

"Dr. Namikaze, would you three be interested in joining us for dinner? I'm sure it wouldn't be too much trouble for the cooks to accommodate you," Hiashi proposed.

"We would love to, Mr. Hyuuga, but I'm afraid we can't tonight. I have to be at the hospital soon for my rounds, and my husband has some work to finish as well," Tsunade politely declined. "Perhaps we could take a rain check?"

"That could be arranged. Would later this week work better for you? Say, Thursday night around 7?"

Tsunade glanced at her husband, and he nodded. "That sounds great, Mr. Hyuuga. We will see you then."

Hiashi tipped his head at them and said, "Looking forward to it."

The Namikazes nodded and headed for the door with Naruto calling out, "See you tomorrow, Hinata!" as they left.

Once they were out the door, Hiashi turned and addressed his daughter. "Hinata." Said girl cringed a little and looked down at the floor as she prepared herself for the lecture she knew was coming. "I just have one question," her father continued. "Why couldn't you defend yourself against those boys? I know your skill with the Gentle Fist has much room for improvement, but still you should've been capable of fighting off three common street thugs."

Hinata hung her head even lower. "Y-Yes, F-Father, b-but I hurt m-m-my ankle when I t-t-tripped, s-so I-I couldn't f-fight back very w-well."

She flinched at Neji's derisive scoff, but her father only sighed and said, "Well, at least that boy Naruto was there to help you, so I guess it all worked out." He ignored her surprised look and continued, "You should go rest your ankle. I'll have the servants bring you your supper."

Numbly, she nodded, not sure why her father wasn't lecturing this time. "Y-Yes, Father. Th-Thank you." She managed a small smile, happy that he seemed to be acting nicer than usual, before heading to her bedroom, which unfortunately for her involved climbing more stairs. _"I wish Naruto could carry me around until my ankle heals...__"_ she thought with a blush. _"Geez, calm down, Hinata! You just met him! ...But he__'s so handsome and sweet... I can__'t wait to see him again tomorrow.__" _She let out a wistful sigh.

When Hinata was out of earshot, Neji asked, "Lord Hiashi, is everything all right? Normally, you would've given Lady Hinata the lecture she deserves for her failure."

The elder Hyuuga just sighed. "Neji, I'll lecture my daughter if I feel she deserves it, and in this case, it would be a bit unreasonable of me to expect her to fight off three bullies with an injured ankle, especially when her skill with the Gentle Fist is so low. Point is, it all worked out well anyway. Speaking of which, what did you think of Naruto, Neji?"

"He seems loud, uncultured, and a bit too brash. And...were those tattoos on his face?" Neji answered with a bit of disdain.

"Hmm... Could be. I'll make a note to ask him when he comes back tomorrow," Hiashi remarked, surprisingly unconcerned.

Neji gave his uncle an incredulous look. "Lord Hiashi, I mean no disrespect, but why did you agree to allow their friendship to continue? Lady Hinata should be in better company than the likes of him."

Hiashi glanced sidelong at Neji. "What can I say? My impression of him was just slightly better than yours, I guess." Seeing Neji expecting him to say more, Hiashi shrugged and sighed. "I've had more experience reading people than you, my nephew, especially since your training in our family's perceptive abilities is still incomplete. The boy did indeed seem loud, uncultured, and a bit too brash as you put it, but I can see he also has a good heart and was quite respectful when we chatted privately. Not to mention he passed The Test as well."

"How much money did he turn down?" Neji asked in surprise, knowing what The Test was.

"I didn't set a limit," Hiashi said simply, smirking at his nephew's shocked face. "I wanted to test the full limits of his greed. Amazingly, he doesn't seem to have any at all. Besides, he saved my daughter from being beaten—or worse—in the park. If he had named a price, I would've given it to him. Although his friendship with my daughter would be forfeit." Hiashi turned and put a hand on Neji's shoulder. "I'm not saying that we completely trust Naruto just yet. I'm just saying that he doesn't seem like he'll be a bad influence on Hinata. I do want you to keep an eye on them, though."

"Yes, sir! I will keep Lady Hinata safe," Neji replied seriously.

"But, Neji," Hiashi began, "please do so without being in their business. You can keep an eye on them without having to be in the same room all the time. All right?"

"Yes, Lord Hiashi. I understand."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Later that night, around midnight when his grandmother was still at the hospital and his grandfather was asleep, Naruto put on his ninja outfit, fully intent on finally starting his life of crime-fighting. He also turned his eyes red with slitted pupils to further hide his identity. Opening his window, the Kitsune Ninja climbed out and hung by his claws from the sill. He couldn't just climb down as doing so would leave claw-marks in the wooden siding of the house, and he was pretty sure his grandparents would ask about that.

He sweat-dropped as he looked down at the ground. _"Oh, why couldn__'t there be a tree next to my window?__"_ he mentally whined. _"Guess I should just get this over with...__"_

He released his grip and dropped to the ground, managing to land most ungracefully—and hard—on his butt. "Argh!" Kitsune Ninja stifled his scream of pain with his arm over his masked mouth. "Ow...! I think I broke my ass-bone!" he complained as he limped into the shadows in case his grandfather had heard anything and looked outside. "Note to self: perfect my landings."

Recovering quickly, Kitsune Ninja took off across the street and scaled the nearest building, happy that his sandals allowed his toe-claws to be out as well. It made the climb much easier and faster. He reached the roof and ran along the edge, jumping to the next roof when he got to the corner, and continuing on across more roofs, enjoying the feeling of freedom his speed and agility gave him, until he was closer to the center of the city. Crouching on the corner of a particularly tall building's roof, Kitsune Ninja observed the city.

And observed.

And observed...

Aaand observed...

He sweat-dropped. _"Man, this is boring! I mean, not that I want people to break the law or anything, but I thought crime happened every day in a big city like this. Hmm...maybe I should try to get a police scanner. At least then I__'d know where to look...__"_

Then suddenly as if in reply to his thoughts, the sound of shattering glass came from across the street. Looking down, he saw two men dressed in all black and wearing masks entering a jewelry store through the window they apparently just broke.

"Finally, some action!" he yelled as he leaped from his perch and caught the side of the adjacent building and slid down it with his claws. When he was close enough to the ground, he jumped off the building and raced toward the store he saw being robbed. However, inexperienced as he was, the new hero made a big mistake right off the bat—he rushed in without looking first.

"Stop right there!" Kitsune Ninja shouted as he jumped through the window and pulled out a kunai.

One burglar whirled around, aiming his gun at the Ninja—which made the hero rethink such a decision for the future, should he have one—while the other burglar pulled up a third man who was dressed in a business suit and looking frightened. The second burglar used the poor man as a shield while he held his gun to the man's head. However, when the two robbers saw the person who caught them was just some weirdo dressed as a ninja and armed with only a knife, they burst out laughing.

Kitsune Ninja sweat-dropped and pouted beneath his mask. "Oi! I'm serious! Drop your weapons and let that man go now!"

Gaining control of their laughter, the burglar aiming at the Ninja scoffed at him. "Or else what, freak? You gonna stop our bullets with your little knife there? Give up and go home while you still have a chance."

But the young hero wasn't the least bit discouraged, especially when he looked into the hostage man's eyes that pleading for help. With inhuman speed, Kitsune Ninja threw the kunai at the weapon hand of the second robber while kicking the first robber's weapon hand up in the air. The knife struck true, causing the burglar to drop his gun, and the hostage broke free of the robber's grasp as the masked-man held his injured hand. Meanwhile, the Ninja disarmed the first robber with a quick elbow to the face and a kick to the knee. He took the gun out of the man's grasp as the burglar fell to the floor and tossed it aside. Then he moved quickly to kick the second gun away from the other burglar before punching said bad guy in the face, knocking him out. Kitsune Ninja then retrieved his kunai and stood over the first robber, who got a good look at the Ninja's red eyes with their slitted pupils.

"Wh-What are you?!" the man gasped in fright.

The hero smirked beneath his mask and leaned down closer to the robber. "I'm the Kitsune Ninja! And for bad guys like you, I'm your worst nightmare." Then he punched the man across the face, knocking him unconscious as well. He stood up and walked over to the man who had been held hostage. The poor guy was cringing in the corner and was unsure of what the strange person who had just saved him was going to do now. Kitsune Ninja offered his hand to help the man up, and the man hesitantly took it.

"Wh-Who...?" was all the man could get out.

The Ninja smiled under his mask and said gently, "Don't worry, I'm just here to help. You the owner of this store?"

The man nodded. "Y-Y-Yes. I-i-I was just doing some bookwork when these two broke in here. Before I knew it they—"

"Hey, it's okay now," Kitsune Ninja interrupted. "I'm not the cops, so you don't need to tell me everything. Speaking of which, are they on their way?"

"Yes, I tripped the silent alarm as soon as I heard the window break."

With a nod, the Ninja said, "Then that's my cue to leave." And he headed for the window.

"W-Wait!" the man called, and Kitsune Ninja looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "Thank you very much. You...You may have just saved my life." The store owner bowed.

With a humble blush that he was glad was hidden by his mask, the young hero replied, "No problem! I'm just glad I could help." Then he heard sirens coming closer and made a dash out the window. He took off down the alley next to the store and scaled the building. After seeing the cops arrive and begin to take care of the situation, he decided stopping one robbery was enough for his first night as a crime-fighter and headed for home.

Leaping up to his window—grateful that the trip up was easier than the trip down had been—Kitsune Ninja removed his outfit and let his eyes go back to the normal blue of Naruto. The blonde teenager then hid his outfit in his closet, took a shower, and then climbed into bed. Drifting off to sleep, his dreams were filled with him saving blue-haired princesses from bad guys and monsters.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Leave me your thoughts if you like the story!


	3. Forging a Friendship

Thank you, my reviewers!

**Chewie Cookies**: Thank you! I will do my best! :D

**StormSurfer**: Wow. Your review made me really happy. ^_^ I love knowing that I've managed to write an entertaining story, but to hear that this is probably the most fun you've had reading a fanfiction is a bit humbling, especially when I've only written 2 chapters so far. Also makes me a bit nervous. But I will continue to do my best to make this a good story! And I'm glad I shattered the thought that this was going to just be a Spiderman clone. Seriously, it was just the inspiration—I am definitely not familiar enough with the whole story of Spiderman to make this story a clone of that even if I wanted to. And I never wanted to and still don't.

**Still like it (Guest)**: Ah, I can see why that'd cause you some concern. Honestly, I don't know that I could do that with any story, no matter how much I like it. Just rewriting a story but with different characters seems boring to me. That's kind of why my Naruto/Mass Effect crossover ended up with the changes it has. It may piss some people off, but if they just want a rewrite of something but with Naruto characters, then they can go write it themselves. That's just too boring for me. Glad you like what I'm doing here, and hope you enjoy this chapter just as much if not more! ^^

**thor94**: Thanks! Yeah, I had a bit of an internal battle with whether or not I should make Hiashi the Worst Father Ever like he tends to end up in fanfics or if I should make him nicer. In the end, I decided that I wanted him to be the kind of father who thinks his daughter's a failure and needs to be protected all the time, but it's because he loves her that he wants to keep her safe. So he'll be a jerk at times and have no faith in Hinata's abilities, but won't be a supreme jerk that doesn't let her have any friends. I like him better that way than how he usually is in fanfics. :) And no, Naruto doesn't know about his family's hidden lives. You'll have to keep reading to see if he ever finds out. ;)

**Guest**: Thank you! I will always try to update ASAP!

**Shinobi of life**: Glad to hear it. ^^ Hope that love continues!

**Fadelucky**: Um, well thanks for liking the story, but as for the name Kitsune Ninja seeming kind of lame to you...what can I say, really? I like the name; if I didn't, then I wouldn't have chosen it. However, I realize that not everyone's going to like it. There isn't a name out there that _everyone_ likes, and if you think about it, most superheroes' names are a bit lame. From Spiderman to Superman, Batman to Aquaman, or even the Flash to the Green Lantern, the list is filled with a bit of the lame (and I apologize to anyone who likes these characters—I'm not saying they're lame, just their names are a bit). And even Naruto's name is a bit lame in some regard. A naruto is a fishcake—a topping for ramen. In the end, it is not the name that matters, but the character behind it and what he/she does, ya know? I am glad, though, that you like the story and that the name didn't drive you away. And I always try to update as soon as I can; I even start writing the next chapter almost immediately after posting one. So hopefully, I haven't kept you waiting _too_ long. ^_^

Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and faves! Hope you all like this chapter as well!

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Naruto—all that belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, who has my vote for the title of Biggest Troll Ever. Because anyone who would let Hinata's confession go as long as it has without Naruto answering her one way or another deserves such a title.

Now, for Chapter 3.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Naruto awakened late the next morning to his phone buzzing. He'd spent some time texting Hinata the previous night before he left to go crime-fighting, so he'd turned the ringer off to avoid waking up his grandfather. However, due to his enhanced auditory ability, he heard it anyway. Opening his eyes, he reached over to his nightstand and grabbed the phone. He sat up, looked at the screen, and smiled when he saw it was another text from Hinata.

_Hey, Naruto. :) I was wondering if you still wanted to hang out today._

He texted her back immediately. _Of course I do! :D But how is your ankle?_

Hinata: _It still hurts even though I took some of the pain meds Tsunade prescribed, and it's probably best if I don't go anywhere today. But you can still come over and hang out._

Naruto: _Sounds good to me! Well, other than your ankle still hurting, I mean. ^_^' When should I be there?_

Hinata: _Any time is fine. I'll let George know you're coming. See you then! ^^_

Smiling happily, Naruto got out of bed and put on a clean white shirt, black pants, and black coat—in other words, his typical outfit—and ran a comb through his hair, even though he wasn't sure why he bothered with his hair being as wild as it was, before tying on his headband. Then he brushed his teeth. Done with his morning routine, he went downstairs to grab a quick breakfast, which was to be a bowl of ramen of course, but on the way to the kitchen, something he heard on the TV in the living room caught his attention.

"Mr. Shiroi, can you describe for us the details of last night's robbery?"

Peeking around the doorway to the living room, Naruto saw his grandparents sitting on the couch watching the news. On the TV was a female reporter speaking to the jewelry store owner whom Kitsune Ninja had saved last night.

The man, Mr. Shiroi, said to the reporter, "I was working late in my office at the back of the store when I heard the front window shatter. I managed to trip the silent alarm, but the robbers found me right away after that. They started shouting at me to unlock all the jewelry cases and the safe in the back or they would kill me, and that's when _he_ showed up."

"Who?" the reporter asked.

"The man who saved my life," Mr. Shiroi answered. "He was dressed like a ninja, and when he first came in, I thought he was a nut—as did the robbers, who laughed in his face. But despite that and the fact that one of them had a gun to his face, the strange guy disarmed both robbers and took them down, saving me in the process. I couldn't even follow him, the guy moved so fast."

"Did this man say who he was?"

"Yeah, yeah, he did. One of the robbers asked him, and the guy said his name was Kitsune Ninja, I think."

"Kitsune Ninja?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what he said. He was dressed like a ninja, like I already told you, and on his back was the kanji for 'fox'."

"In other words, 'kitsune'. Interesting. Did you manage to see what this Kitsune Ninja looked like?"

"Not really," Shiroi shook his head. "He was wearing a hooded mask, but I did see his eyes. They were probably the weirdest thing about him."

"How so?"

"They were blood-red, and the pupils were slitted like a cat or snake's. ...Or a fox's."

The reporter blinked in surprise, but said, "Hmm. They were most likely just strange contacts he was wearing."

"Could be," the store owner shrugged. "Either way, the guy is strange. Crazy even. But he saved my life, so his kind of crazy is alright in my opinion."

"Thank you, Mr. Shiroi," the reporter said with a nod before moving away from the man. "And there you have it. A robbery stopped and a store owner saved by one vigilante calling himself Kitsune Ninja. One can only wonder if Konoha will see him again."

_"Oh, you can count on it,"_ Naruto thought with a smirk as he turned away and continued on to the kitchen to prepare his ramen. As much as he knew he was just trying to help people, he couldn't help but enjoy the bit of fame his alter ego was already getting.

Tsunade came in the kitchen as her grandson was eating and rolled her eyes. "Naruto, you should really eat something healthier than ramen for breakfast."

Naruto just grinned cheekily at her. "Yeah but, it's more like my lunch considering what time it is, Granny." He chuckled.

She sighed in mild annoyance, but just ruffled his hair. "You're going to need to change your sleeping habits before school starts next week, gaki."

"Yeah, I know. I know," he muttered before slurping up more noodles.

Tsunade smiled as a thought occurred to her. "Just think of it this way, Naruto: The earlier you get up, the more time you have in the day to spend with your new little girlfriend."

The blonde teen nearly choked on the noodles, and Tsunade patted his back while trying not to laugh at his red face. "G-Granny!" he shouted as soon as he managed to swallow. "I told you we're just friends!"

"Hahahaha! I know you are, gaki," she laughed at him. "But teasing you about it is just too much fun."

Naruto pouted, but that quickly changed to a mischievious smirk. "Just remember, Granny. What goes around comes around. Hehehehe..."

Tsunade cocked an eyebrow as she folded her arms. "And you just remember who can stop you from seeing your little friend for awhile if you go too far." Naruto looked momentarily worried and nodded. "Good. Now, speaking of Hinata, what are your plans today, gaki?"

"Well, Hinata said her ankle still hurts a bit despite the pain pills you gave her and thinks she shouldn't go anywhere today, so I'm heading over there as soon as I'm done eating to hang out with her at her house," he explained, and Tsunade just nodded in acknowledgement. Then he picked up the bowl and drank the remainder of the broth. Setting the bowl back down, he stood up and announced, "Well, I'm off!"

"Okay, Naruto. Just be home in time for supper or let us know if you're eating over there," Tsunade requested.

"Will do, Granny!" he called from the doorway where he was putting on his shoes. Opening the door, he yelled, "See ya!" and was off.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Naruto rang the doorbell of the Hyuuga mansion and in less than a second was let in by the butler George. The man bowed and said, "Ah, Master Naruto. Lady Hinata said you would be coming over today. She awaits you in her room. Allow me to show you the way. Follow me."

"Okay, thanks," Naruto replied as he followed the man up the large staircase in the foyer, turning left, then right, and walking down a long hallway until they reached Hinata's door on the left side of the hall.

George knocked and spoke through the door, "Lady Hinata, Master Naruto is here to see you."

_"So weird being called 'Master Naruto',"_ the boy mentally remarked.

"You may let him in, George. Thank you!" Hinata called back, and Naruto noted with surprise that she didn't stutter.

George opened the door and motioned for Naruto to go through. When the boy did, George stood in the doorway and said to the bluenette, "Lord Hiashi requests that your door remain open while Master Naruto is here, Lady Hinata, as is custom with any of your male guests. And your cousin Master Neji is just down the hall."

Hinata sweat-dropped and blushed slightly. "Yes, George, I know. The door will stay open, thank you."

The butler then bowed and left, going back down the hall.

Once they were alone, Naruto took a second to look around Hinata's room. It was painted lavender, and had wall-to-wall carpet of a darker shade of purple. Hinata's queen-sized bed with its lavender comforter and white sheets was in the far corner to the right of the large window, which had a window seat, and a cream-colored couch was parallel to the bed, facing the wall next to the bedroom door with an ottoman of the same color in front of it. On that same wall next to the door was a large TV and all of Hinata's game consoles were on a small entertainment center beneath the TV with a shelf next to them containing all her games, and the room was wired for surround sound. There was a door to Hinata's own bathroom on the right wall of the room between the couch and bed, and on the opposite wall was a door to a large walk-in closet. Naruto knew where each door led because the doors were left open slightly. There was also a dresser with a large mirror next to the closet door, and on top of the dresser were bits and pieces of electronics as well as a few tools.

Naruto's eyes then fell on the owner of the room, who was watching him from where she sat in the middle of the couch with her injured foot propped up on the ottoman wearing a purple shirt that was more form-fitting than the one she had worn yesterday and loose black shorts. He smiled at her. "I really like your room, Hinata."

"Thank you, Naruto," she returned his smile with a slight blush. "Would you like to sit down?"

"Sure! Thanks!" He sat next to her on the couch and asked, "So what do you wanna do?"

_"Now there's a loaded question..."_ she thought as she looked at his gorgeous eyes and noticed his strong muscles again, and her face briefly took on a more crimson shade. _"No! Bad Hinata! No bad thoughts! Geez, what is wrong with you?"_ Shaking her head slightly, Hinata looked at Naruto again and replied, "We can play a game if you want. I don't have many multiplayer games, though, but if you want to play alone, I really don't mind watching. Those pain pills have made me a little tired."

Naruto frowned. "Hinata, if you want to sleep, we don't have to hang out. It won't hurt my feelings if you need time to feel better."

"No, no!" she said quickly. "I want you to stay, please. I just hope you don't mind if I happen to doze off." She smiled sheepishly.

He smiled gently at her. "As long as you're sure." She nodded. "Alright then! And I'm fine with it if you fall asleep. I'll just wait for you to wake up." And he couldn't help but think, _"I bet she looks really cute when she's asleep too."_ Ignoring his thoughts, he stood up to choose a game. "Ooo! I've wanted to try this one out to see if it's good!" he exclaimed as he selected one.

Seeing what he picked, Hinata told him, "It's a very good game. Feel free to try it."

"Thanks, Hinata," he gave her a foxy grin. As he put the game into the appropriate console and turned on the TV after he sat back down, he said, "Hey, Hinata. Hope this doesn't offend you, but I'm curious. What happened to your stutter?" Hinata blushed and fidgeted with her hands a little, though not as much as she usually did. When she didn't say anything for a bit, he assumed he hurt her feelings. "I'm sorry, Hinata! I didn't mean—"

"No, it's okay, Naruto," she told him with a small smile. "I just stutter when I'm really nervous. It's a habit I've had all my life that I've more or less gotten rid of except when I'm feeling really nervous. And yesterday was rather nerve-wracking for obvious reasons, and I think my pain pills are helping today too." She let out a small laugh, and Naruto loved the sound of it. "It'll be kind of sad once I don't need them anymore."

"Well, as long as you don't start abusing them," Naruto half-joked with a smile, and Hinata shook her head, meaning she wouldn't. "Your stutter's kinda cute anyway," the blonde muttered quietly as he turned his attention back to the game and tried to hide his own reddening face.

But Hinata heard him and blushed darker. "Really? No one's ever said that to me before. In fact, every guy I've ever dated eventually told me it was annoying."

Naruto let out a dry laugh and said, "Well, considering my tendency to use the phrase 'ya know' quite a bit, I don't really have the right to tell someone else the way they talk is annoying. Ya know?" He gave her a smirking grin and she giggled. Then his grin turned to a gentle smile as he added, "But I like the way you talk, stutter or no stutter."

"Th-Thank you," Hinata whispered as she looked down at her lap, her face bright crimson now and her stutter mildly returning.

Naruto just chuckled slightly and turned back to the game.

A few moments of silence passed as Naruto played and Hinata watched, and eventually the two started talking again as Naruto went through the beginning humdrum stuff of the game. They started out discussing the game itself, then games in general and found out that the two of them shared the same taste in games, preferring adventure RPG games, but occasionally playing fighting and racing games as well.

After awhile, their conversation became about many different things, each one leading them to learning something new about the other. Eventually, Naruto somehow ended up telling Hinata that the reason his grandmother looked so young was because of her knowledge of herbal remedies for maintaining one's youth as well as her colleague Shizune—who was also a former student of Tsunade's—being so skilled at plastic surgery. The blonde also joked that the only reason Tsunade let him call her "Granny" was because she was his father's mother—he told Hinata that he had the suspicion his grandma might try to hit him for calling her that otherwise.

Then Naruto asked Hinata what her father did for a living, and she told him he owned Hyuuga Technologies. The company made anything from computers to cell phones, hospital and laboratory equipment to gadgets and gizmos for military use, and so on. If it was an electronic device or computer software, Hyuuga Technologies made it.

"Guess that explains the stuff on your dresser then," Naruto commented.

Hinata nodded. "Yes, I've actually been fiddling with computers and gadgets and such since I was little. I like knowing how things work, finding ways to make them work better, and even making a few devices—either with schematics from the internet or with my own design. I actually took the console you're playing on apart as soon as I got it and found a way to make it load information faster and improved its ventilation, nearly eliminating the chance of it overheating."

Naruto stopped playing for a minute and blinked at her in surprise. "Wow...really? That's awesome, Hinata! Maybe I should let you work on mine sometime too." He grinned at her.

"I'd be glad to, Naruto," she said, returning the smile. She appreciated the fact that he not only believed her about her skill—most people didn't until she proved it to them—but that he also trusted her to work on his own console, seeming unconcerned of the possibility that she could break it permanently even after she informed him of said possibility. It felt good to have someone's confidence in her ability.

Their conversation moved on, and at some point, Hinata asked Naruto about the whisker-marks on his cheeks. He told her the story he and his grandparents agreed on—that they were birthmarks. Naruto as well as Jiraiya and Tsunade didn't want the other kids at school or their parents to think Naruto was some troubled kid and a bad influence as most people tend to think about those with tattoos. So they decided the whiskers would be birthmarks, and that's what the blonde boy told Hinata, although he felt bad for lying to her even if it wasn't that big a deal. She merely smiled at him and remarked that she thought they were cute, causing Naruto to blush a bit again.

The conversation then fell on Naruto's parents—what they did for a living and where they are now. At first, Hinata was afraid that she'd hurt Naruto's feelings by asking, but he quickly assured her that he was fine and didn't mind her asking. He told her his parents were still alive and that his father had worked in Jiraiya's publishing company while his mother used to teach elementary school in their old town Hajime. But they had to leave to take care of something with his mother's family and he couldn't come with them because they wanted him to finish school.

"But why couldn't you have done both? What are they doing exactly?" Hinata asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"They wouldn't say. My mom and dad are like that, though. If they have a secret, then you're not gonna know until they decide to tell you. No amount of asking will change that," Naruto explained as he killed an enemy in the game. "All I can assume is it's something serious that will take a lot of time to take care of, and that there's some reason I couldn't go to school wherever they are."

Hinata studied his face for a bit and noticed the sadness in his eyes. "You really miss them, don't you?"

"Yeah," he answered quietly. "I know most kids our age usually can't wait to get away from their parents, but I've always gotten along with mine pretty well. Our arguments—when we have them—are usually resolved pretty quick, and I like spending time with them. 'Specially since my dad was busy a lot when I was little—I hardly got to see him until I was ten."

"I can understand that," Hinata replied in an equally quiet voice. "I lost my mother when I was five—she died giving birth to my little sister Hanabi. But I can still remember spending time with her and miss her every day. My father is...well...he's..."

"Not the kind of father a daughter can really get close to?" Naruto asked in an unusually insightful manner. Hinata just nodded, and Naruto said, "Yeah, I kinda got that impression when I saw how nervous you were whenever he was mentioned and by his and my private conversation last night. Based on the little I know so far, I'd say he was a bit overprotective and doesn't spend much time with you."

_"Almost hit the nail on the head. Add calling me a failure almost every time he sees me, and you got my relationship with my father in a nutshell,"_ Hinata thought with a mixture of sadness and bitterness. Nodding to Naruto, she told him sadly, "Yeah, that's pretty much how things are."

Naruto tried to cheer her up with a foxy grin. "Don't worry about it, Hinata. I'm sure your dad loves you, and that's the important part."

"Yeah, you're right, Naruto," she replied while doing her best to make her smile look real. She must've succeeded because the whisker-faced boy turned back to the game without further comment.

Hinata watched her blonde friend play the game for a few moments in silence and mentally giggled a bit when she noticed Naruto's way of playing was quite different from hers. While she tended to make her characters sneak through dungeons and assassinate enemies to avoid fighting, Naruto seemed happier making his characters run in swinging their weapons causing huge battles and leaving no hostiles alive. After watching his character kill at least ten guys and cutting off the last guy's head, Hinata couldn't hold it in anymore and laughed.

"I'm kind of glad this isn't a multiplayer game," she said when he cocked an eyebrow at her. "There'd be nothing for me to do."

Naruto made his character look around the room at all the slaughtered enemies and laughed as well. Scratching the back of his head, he replied, "Yeah, I tend to go a bit nuts in games. Hehehe." Then he put on a serious face and added, "But in my defense, they're all bad guys. I don't go through the towns killing the people there."

Hinata giggled, causing the blonde to lose his hold on his serious look. "They're not real anyway, Naruto. I've killed a couple of the townspeople who made me angry or when I found out they did horrible things. Sometimes right in the middle of town too."

"Why, Miss Hinata, I'm shocked!" Naruto exclaimed with a teasing grin. "It's always the quiet ones, huh? Hahaha!"

She shoved him lightly in an unusual moment of boldness, which only made him laugh harder. Pretty soon, she was laughing just as hard, and eventually, the controller ended up falling from Naruto's grasp and onto the floor. Naturally, their first reaction was to pick it up, and the two teens reached for it at the same time. And then...their hands touched. Naruto and Hinata instantly looked up at each other, their faces only inches apart, and without either of them thinking about it, they started to move closer to each other...

"Nee-san!" a voice called out and Naruto and Hinata jumped back as if stung. Their faces were a bright red, and they averted their gaze from each other. "Nee-san, are you in your room?" the voice called again, and seconds later, the owner of the voice appeared in the doorway. "Nee-san!"

Naruto looked at the newcomer. She was a younger girl, most likely ten or eleven-years-old, with brown hair and silver Hyuuga eyes, and her face resembled Hiashi's more than Hinata, making Naruto assume that Hinata took after her mother. The girl wore a white T-shirt and loose black pants.

"H-Hanabi-imouto, c-come in," Hinata said to the girl. "Th-This is N-Naruto," she added as the girl came over to them. "N-Naruto, this is my l-little sister Hanabi."

Regaining his composure, the blonde held out his hand and Hanabi shook it. "Nice to meet you, Naruto!" the younger girl smiled at him. "Hinata's done nothing but talk about you ever since last night."

"H-Hanabi!" her elder sister chided in embarrassment, and Naruto's blush returned.

Hanabi just chuckled at their reactions as she moved to Naruto's right—the opposite side from Hinata. "What, nee-san? I can see why. He's really cute."

Naruto made a strange choking noise as his voice caught in his throat, and Hinata shouted, "Hanabi!"

"You know, Naruto," the girl continued, leaning on the arm of the couch by Naruto and ignoring her elder sister's mortified look, "My sister told me all about how you saved her. I bet she wouldn't say no if you asked her on a date."

"HANABI!" Hinata practically screamed as she stood up and hopped on her good foot toward her sister. She only managed three hops, however, before she tripped on the controller that was still on the floor and started to fall. Naruto quickly leaned forward and caught her by the waist, wrapping his arms around her to stop her progress to the floor. Hinata had instinctively put her arms around his neck at the same time, and now she was practically in Naruto's lap. She looked up at him, and the two were once again lost in each other's eyes.

_"Man, these two have got it bad,"_ Hanabi thought as she sweat-dropped. She cleared her throat, breaking the teens' gaze, and said, "Well, nee-san, I just wanted to see if your ankle was any better, so I'll be going now. Nice meeting you, Naruto!" She left the room giggling.

Avoiding her eyes, Naruto helped Hinata to sit in her place on the couch again and picked up the controller. Without a word, he resumed playing the game, and a long awkward silence fell between them.

_"What should I do? What should I say? He probably thinks I'm weird now..."_ Hinata thought sadly. _"We just met...how can I have a crush on him already?"_

_"I should say something... but what? I really like her...but we just met! Gah! I don't know what to do here!"_ Naruto screamed in his head.

Almost fifteen minutes passed before the silence was broken, this time by Hinata. "N-N-Naruto, I-I'm sorry for what my s-sister said," she said in almost a whisper.

"That's okay, Hinata! That's just how younger siblings are, right?" Naruto replied cheerfully to mask his own embarrassment.

"R-R-Right," she muttered, her voice breaking slightly. It wasn't enough for anyone with normal hearing to hear, but Naruto's hearing wasn't normal. And when he heard her sob, he paused the game and turned to her concerned.

"Hinata, what's wrong? Why're you crying?" he asked gently.

"I-I-I j-j-just don't w-want you to th-think I'm w-w-weird b-because of what m-my s-s-sister said," she cried.

"Hey, hey. Come here," Naruto said softly as he pulled Hinata into a hug. She clung to his shirt and cried into his chest, and Naruto just held her tight. "Hinata, I already think you're weird. I thought that shortly after I met you." Her breath caught in her throat as her heart felt like it was being squeezed to death by what he said. But the blonde wasn't finished. "But, ya know, I like people like you, Hinata!" he told her with a happy grin.

She pushed back a little to see his face. "R-R-Really?"

"Yeah!" he nodded. Then his voice and smile softened as he looked back at her. "Hinata, I know we just met, but there's something about you I really like. And it's not just the fact that you're really pretty either. I can't really describe it—I just know I like you a lot and want to get to know you better. But because we just met, I would rather us just be friends for now." He paused when he realized that what he said might be telling her too much too soon and he panicked a bit. "O-Or ya know, never more than friends or maybe not friends at all since you probably don't want to see me anymore no—"

He was silenced when Hinata held up her hand and smiled at him. "N-Naruto, it's okay. I really l-like y-you too."

"Really?" he asked in disbelief. Most girls he knew would be creeped out at someone liking them so much when they just met them. But if she felt the same, then it would make sense for her to be okay with his feelings.

She nodded. "Y-Yes, I do. B-But I agree with you o-on wanting to j-just be friends for n-now."

He smiled and released her from the embrace. "Yeah, at least until we know each other better, right?" She smiled and nodded. "But that doesn't mean I can't take you out every now and then to just hang out, does it?" he asked shyly. "Ya know, like a date but not a date?"

"N-No, I g-guess not," Hinata answered with a darker blush. "I-I-In fact, I w-would like that v-very much."

He gave her a foxy grin, his whiskered cheeks dusted with red. "But if anyone asks, we're just friends and not on a date. Right?"

"R-Right," she nodded.

"For now," the both said at the same time and laughed.

"Feeling better?" Naruto asked kindly as Hinata dried her eyes.

"Y-Yes, thank you, Naruto," she smiled at him. Naruto went back to playing the game, and after a minute, Hinata spoke again. "Y-You know, Naruto, you keep helping me, but s-so far I haven't done anything for you."

"Hinata, so far you've done more for me than you know," Naruto replied quietly.

"W-What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head to the side—a gesture Naruto thought was very cute.

The blonde sighed. "Well, at my old school, I didn't really have any friends. There were people I'd casually hang out with while at school, but that was about it. The one person I did consider a friend isn't a very good one. He never wanted to hang out much, and he didn't even say goodbye when I left to come here. In fact, I still haven't heard from him..."

"Oh, N-Naruto, I'm sorry," Hinata said sympathetically with a gentle hand on his arm. "B-But I don't understand. Why didn't you have any friends? You had g-girlfriends, and you seem really nice, so...?"

With a shrug, Naruto told her, "Well, I used to play a lot of pranks when I was younger—more so than I do nowadays." He chuckled slightly. "Some of the targets of my pranks were the more popular kids, and I saved the more humiliating ones for them since they often bullied everyone else. But because they were the popular kids, everyone still sided with them, so when they didn't like me, no one else did either just so they didn't piss off the popular kids. And the fact that it was a small town didn't help either, ya know. Fewer people means fewer kids who wouldn't care about the popular kids' opinions and be my friend anyway.

"As for having girlfriends, I think that was only because the few girls I've dated liked how I look, and apparently that was enough to risk associating with me. They weren't shunned for very long, though, after I dumped them or they dumped me, but that was probably because of how they look too. The kids in my hometown are fairly shallow, in case you haven't noticed. And that includes my one 'friend' who I already told you about. He used to ditch me too whenever he agreed to help me with a prank and we were about to be caught." He sighed again in sadness before looking at the bluenette beside him. "So by being my first friend here, you've actually done a lot for me, Hinata." He gave her a small, but genuine, smile.

Feeling bold, Hinata briefly hugged Naruto's arm, which surprised and delighted the boy all at the same time, and said, "I-I'm sorry, Naruto. I-I know what it's like t-to not have many friends. There's a couple of guys I've b-been friends with s-since j-junior high, but before that, I d-didn't have any friends really. I've been made f-fun of quite a bit for h-having my family's weird eyes, and m-most people assume I'm stuck-up like the r-rest of my family." She looked up into his eyes. "S-So I'm g-glad I could help you." Smiling happily at him, she added, "You won't be alone anymore here."

"Thanks, Hinata," he gave her a quick one-armed hug.

However, it was at that moment just before Naruto released Hinata that Neji walked by the room and looked in. Seeing the whisker-faced boy with his arm around the heiress to the Hyuuga family—however briefly—set him off. He was livid.

"How dare you touch Lady Hinata!" Neji shouted as he stomped toward Naruto. Pulling the surprised younger boy up from the couch by his collar, Neji continued shouting. "She is the heiress of the Hyuuga family and its corporation! How dare a commoner like you touch her!"

"Neji-nii-san, he—"

"Be quiet, Lady Hinata!" Neji silenced her. "You're too trusting and naïve to be any good at judging someone's character. You're as much a failure at reading people as you are with anything else!"

Now Naruto was pissed. All insults toward him as well as Neji overreacting to a simple hug aside, he did NOT like the way the older boy just dismissed and insulted Hinata. Not allowing her to speak even in her own room on top of calling her a failure? Naruto did not like that one bit.

Calmly as he could, Naruto wordlessly removed Neji's hand from his collar and stepped back a bit to straighten his shirt somewhat. Then after clearing his throat, he said, "Neji, right? I understand you being protective of your cousin, especially since she just met me yesterday, but it was just a hug. Not only that, but you assume too much about me, and you've known me for even less time than Hinata has. But none of that really matters to me. You can hate me if you want—I don't care. However," he stepped closer to Neji, putting his face just inches away from the older boy's, "if you _ever_ talk to Hinata like the way you just did again, I _won't_ be this nice about it next time."

"Is that a threat, Namikaze?" Neji asked as he crossed his arms and glared back at the blonde.

"No. That's a promise," Naruto told him. "And I never go back on my word."

"Hmph," Neji grunted in contempt. "You just keep your grubby paws off her, or _I_ won't be this nice about it next time." And he turned on his heel and walked out of the room.

Naruto just sat back down on the couch next to Hinata, who was watching him with a concerned face. The blonde just looked at her, a smirk crossing his face and a mischievious glint in his eye.

Winking at her, he suddenly shouted, "Oh, Hinata! You're so soft and cuddly! I could just hug you all day!"

Footsteps came thundering down the hall, and Neji was back in the doorway in seconds glaring at Naruto. However, when he saw that Naruto and Hinata weren't touching in the slightest nor did they look like they had suddenly jumped away from each other, he was confused.

Naruto just quirked an eyebrow at the older boy and his smirk was still on his face. Neji just glared at the blonde and slowly turned away and began walking down the hall.

Hinata stifled a giggle and caught Naruto's eye for a second. With a smirk of her own, she yelled, "N-Naruto! W-What are you doing?! Put me down!"

Again, Neji's quick footsteps could be heard before he was in the doorway once more. And just like before, he couldn't see any evidence that Naruto and Hinata had even moved, much less touched at all. This time he glared at Hinata angrily, but also with a bit of surprise that she would join Naruto in tricking him. Said bluenette just looked down at her lap to avoid his gaze and also to keep herself from laughing. Meanwhile, Naruto was biting his lip to keep from busting a gut at Neji's face.

The older Hyuuga boy cast one last glare at the two of them before leaving once more, though he quickly looked back around the doorway just to make sure they hadn't moved. Seeing they hadn't, he continued down the hall.

After a minute, Hinata started to speak, but Naruto held up a finger to his lips, asking her to be quiet for a moment. Listening with his enhanced hearing and checking with his sense of smell as well, Naruto confirmed that Neji was indeed no longer nearby. Then he let out the laughter he had struggled so hard to keep in.

"Ahahahahaha! That was, hahaha, so awesome, Hinata! Hahahaha!" Naruto exclaimed as he held his sides. "And did you see his face the second time?! Hahahahahaha! I can't believe you did that! Hahahaha!"

Hinata, who had burst into a fit of giggles as soon as Naruto started laughing, blushed when he mentioned her part in teasing her cousin. Gaining control over her giggles, she remarked, "I can't believe I did that either! He was so angry!" She covered her red face with her hands and let out a last few giggles.

Naruto's own laughter died down, and he wiped a couple of tears from his eyes. "Oh man, Hinata, that was just too perfect. You have some potential as a prankster, ya know!" He gave her a foxy grin and let out another chuckle.

Removing her hands from her face, Hinata replied, "Oh, I don't know, Naruto. He looked so mad, and I—"

"Hinata," Naruto interrupted the bluenette gently, "you didn't do anything wrong. And he deserved it after the way he talked to you, ya know!"

Hinata sighed. "I guess, but I'm used to that, though."

"He always talks like that to you?"

"Yes, unfortunately."

Naruto was taken aback. "Seriously? Why do you let him? Don't you stand up for yourself?"

"I-I-I don't l-like to fight, s-so I just b-brush it off," Hinata said quietly, looking down at her lap again.

Naruto didn't want to upset her further, but he couldn't help asking, "If he doesn't like you, though, why is he so protective?"

"B-Because he has t-to be," she answered. Seeing the confusion on Naruto's face, she added, "I-It's a f-family thing. I'd r-rather not talk about it, p-please."

"Okay. I don't get it, but I won't make you tell me," Naruto said kindly. Then after briefly listening for anyone coming down the hall, Naruto put his left arm around Hinata again and gave her another brief hug. "But don't expect me not to stand up for you," he told her as he released her and then reached for the controller again. "No one talks to any friend of mine like that. Family or not."

Hinata smiled at that. "Thank you, Naruto."

"Yup! Anytime, Hinata," he replied with a grin. "And seriously, you do have some potential as a prankster. Maybe you and I should plan a prank when school starts. Hehehe."

Hinata giggled. "Maybe. Could be fun."

"Oh, you should hear about the stuff I've pulled in my hometown."

"Tell me about it."

Naruto laughed. "With pleasure!" A smirking grin crossed his face. "Well, there was the time that..."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

A few hours—and bouts of laughter as well as interruptions by Neji—later, Naruto decided to head for home. Hinata had invited him to stay for dinner, but Naruto politely declined, not wanting to wear out his welcome by staying too long on the second day of their friendship. As he stood up from the couch to leave, though, Naruto remembered his blue-haired friend's interest in computers and electronics and thought he'd ask her about a particular piece of equipment he realized the night before he needed for his crime-fighting.

"Hey, Gadget Girl," Naruto began as he looked at Hinata with a grin.

She blushed at the name and asked, "Yes?"

"I was wondering if you'd know where I could get my hands on a police scanner."

"A police scanner? You know it's illegal for civilians to have one of those, right?" she told him as she tilted her head to the side in question. Again, Naruto thought she looked cute when she did that.

But he was more concerned with what she just told him. "O-Oh. Really?"

Hinata nodded. "Why do you need one?"

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. _"Oh, crap! I can't tell her the real reason! Think of an excuse! Think of an excuse!"_ he screamed inwardly. "Um, w-well, it's for a hobby—or rather project—of mine... It's not for anything illegal. Other than owning it, I mean."

"What is this project? Can you tell me about it?" Hinata asked innocently, believing that it wasn't anything illegal like he said, but still curious.

Naruto shifted on his feet, feeling uncomfortable. "I, uh, can't tell you," he said. Seeing her slightly saddened look, he added, "I-I will someday! Ya know, when it's...finished. But...until then, I'd prefer to keep it secret." He scratched the back of his head in a sheepish manner.

Hinata brightened up a bit at that. "Promise?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah, sure!" he agreed with a grin. "It won't be for a while, though, but I never go back on my word."

Hinata nodded, still smiling at him, and she seemed to consider something for a moment. Coming to a decision, she nodded again and said, "Well, I can't have you getting yourself arrested by trying to buy one anywhere." Grabbing her crutches, she stood up from the couch and told Naruto to follow her. Not sure where she was taking him, Naruto decided the best way to find out would be to just go with her.

Hinata led Naruto further down the hall, past Neji's bedroom door, which was unfortunately was open. The older boy came out of the room and started to follow them until the heiress stopped and turned to face him.

"Nii-san, there is no reason to follow us. Naruto is about to go home, and I'm just showing him my workshop first before he does. I'll leave the door open, and this won't take long..." she trailed off, hoping Neji would just turn around and go back to his room.

Neji rolled his eyes and scoffed—he considered Hinata's workshop a waste of time and full of boring things only she seemed to fully understand. "Fine. But I'm checking on you in five minutes," he told her sternly before turning on his heel and walking back to his room.

As Hinata and Naruto started walking again, the blonde muttered, "What a jerk, ya know?"

Hinata let out a sad sigh. "Not that I disagree, but it's not entirely his fault."

"Is it part of the family stuff you mentioned before?"

"Yeah..." She stopped by a door and looked at him. "I'll tell you about it someday, but..."

"Hey, it's okay," Naruto reassured her with a small smile. "I'll tell you my secret someday and you'll tell me yours. No worries."

Hinata gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Naruto." Then she opened the door and said, "Here we are."

Stepping into the room behind her, Naruto was stopped in his tracks by the sight. A large table dominated the center of the room with one chair with wheels next to it. On top of the table were all sorts of electronic bits and pieces as well as two computers—a desktop and a laptop—and a tablet. All along the walls of the room were shelves filled with electronics in various states of repair, electronic parts, and tools for working on them.

"Wow..." Naruto breathed. He was impressed to put it mildly. "You weren't kidding about liking this stuff. This is pretty cool, Hinata!"

The bluenette blushed at his compliment. "Y-You don't think it's too nerdy?"

"Eh, it's definitely nerdy. But I like nerds, so I wouldn't say it's too much," he flashed her a foxy grin.

She smiled happily at him even as her face reddened further. "Thanks. Now, let me look through my stuff. I think I have at least one of what you're looking for." She walked over to a shelf and began digging while Naruto just stayed by the door. It took her a couple of minutes, but Hinata found what she was looking for and held it out for Naruto to take. "Here it is!" she exclaimed cheerfully as the blonde walked toward her and took it from her.

"Wow, thanks, Hinata! But are you sure it's okay for me to just take it? I could pay you for it," Naruto offered.

"No, it's okay. A lot of everything in here is overflow from our manufacturing companies, and I actually put that," she gestured to the device in Naruto's hands, "together myself using schematics I got off the internet and with parts I had around here. Didn't cost me anything, and mostly just like putting these things together. I don't have much use for it now."

Naruto looked down at the object he was holding. _"She put this thing together herself?! Sweet ramen, this girl is amazing!"_ he thought impressed. "And it really works?"

"Yup!" she grinned at him proudly. "I'm not good at a lot of things, but I'm very good at this. But you shouldn't check it here." She gave him a warning look as she glanced at the door.

Naruto slipped the device into his coat pocket. "Right. Well, thank you very much, Hinata. I really appreciate this." He beamed at her.

"N-No problem, Naruto," she replied. His smile had managed to make her blush return. "Let me know if it helps with your project."

"Definitely." He paused as he considered something. Not hearing Neji nearby, he decided to go for it and gave her a quick hug and said, "Well, I gotta get going. See you tomorrow?"

"S-Sure, N-Naruto," Hinata muttered as she tried to gain control over her increasing blush. "A-And I'll introduce y-you to some of my friends like I promised."

"Sounds great! See you then!" he exclaimed while still smiling, and then with a wave, he left her workshop and her house.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Much later that night, Naruto—or rather the Kitsune Ninja—made use of his newly acquired police scanner, silently thanking Hinata with every dirtbag the little device led him to. In the course of the night, Kitsune Ninja managed to stop three robberies—a couple stores and one bank—and tracked down a mugger. The scanner led him to the site where a man was mugged, and from there, Kitsune Ninja used his enhanced sense of smell to hunt down the culprit, whom the Ninja proceeded to beat to a bloody pulp before dropping him off at the police department.

_"That's the least that bastard deserved,"_ the young hero thought angrily as he jumped back through his window. As he proceeded to remove his ninja gear and put it away, he reflected on how the man who was mugged was still in the hospital with three broken ribs, a broken arm, a busted foot, and his internal organs were severely bruised. Some had ruptured. His face had been smashed into the side of a building as well, and the man was currently in critical condition—and the doctors weren't holding out much hope for his recovery. _"He's lucky I didn't kill him after what he did. Beating a guy almost to death just over some money? And all he got was 30 bucks too! Not that a larger amount would justify it, but still. How can anyone be that sick?"_

He shook his head, hoping to make his dark thoughts go away, and he noticed a light on his phone was blinking. He'd left his phone behind just like the night before because he knew if he lost it anywhere, his cover would be blown. Picking the phone up, he looked at the screen and saw he had a text from Hinata.

_Hey, Naruto. I just wanted to say thanks for coming over today. I had a lot of fun! :) And I'm glad my pain meds didn't make me fall asleep. ^_^' Can't wait to hang out again tomorrow. I asked my friends Kiba and Shino to meet us at my house a little before noon, and from there we'll go to the mall if that's okay with you. We might meet more of our friends there too since they hang out there a lot._

Naruto replied: _Hi, Hinata! No prob! I had a lot of fun today too, so thanks for having me over! ^^ The plans for tomorrow sound good to me. I'll see you then!_

Sending his message, he put the phone back on his nightstand and went to take a shower before going to bed. His last thought as sleep claimed him was, _"Man... I was feeling pretty lousy after taking down that mugger-bastard, but now, I'm feeling a lot better. Guess this is what having a good friend is like..."_

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

And so ends the chapter. I know it wasn't really actiony at all, but I'm hoping it was at least amusing and that you all enjoyed the NaruHina fluff.

Speaking of which, before I get any reviews saying that I'm getting Naruto and Hinata together too soon, which would be kind of ridiculous considering how many stories have them in love in like the first chapter...not that I mind those even if it is unrealistic. But I digress. Anyway, in case anyone's concerned I'm putting them together too soon, rest assured they will be just friends for quite a while. So far, they've just admitted to having a mutual attraction to each other and are interested in getting to know each other further. That's not all that unrealistic when you consider some people start dating right after they meet—some people even meet on dates. And maybe I'm just being paranoid and none of you considered it strange at all, but that's just how I am.

Anyway, leave me a review if you're liking the story please! Encouraging reviews help me write faster. ^_^ And I'm planning some more action for the next chapter as well as the possible return of a certain grumpy furry friend, although he may not meet up with Naruto again for a while. I have a basic plan for this story, but I'm kind of winging it with each chapter. So we'll just have to see how things go.

Until next time!


	4. Partners in Crime-Fighting

Hello, my readers! Thank you again for the reviews, faves, and follows!

**Still liking it**: Not quite sure what you mean by "more upgrades". You mean more gadgets besides the scanner Naruto has now? If that's what you mean, I won't spoil it, but I will say maybe... But as for your thoughts on Hinata becoming Black-Cat/Catwoman...argh! I can't think of a good way to explain stuff without spoiling anything. I'll just say I have plans for Miss Hinata, but she will stay the sweet good-girl she is. You'll just have to wait and see.

**TheAngryKids64**: Thanks! Hope you like this one too!

**Shinobi of life**: I know we talked in a PM about this already, but I want to answer you here as well just in case anyone else is wondering the same thing you asked me. No, Naruto hasn't met Sasuke yet. When he was talking to Hinata, he was referring to Arashi from Chapter 1. And no, Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, etc. don't have the same abilities as they do in the manga. Everyone's a normal human in this story except for Naruto right now. However, that doesn't mean that won't change later. You'll just have to wait and see. ;)

**thor94**: Thanks! Yup, she is, and yes, he does. I like Hinata as a nerd, and Neji isn't quite Neji if he starts out nice. But don't worry! He'll work that stick out of his butt. Hopefully, he won't start to beat guys to death with it, though. Hahaha! You'll have to wait quite a while for Naruto to learn about his family's secret. It would be kind of anticlimactic for him to learn about it now. Just be patient! ^^

**Fadelucky**: I might have someone make fun of his superhero name at some point just for fun. 10,000 cookies to whoever can guess who I'll make be that someone. Here's a hint: He calls Naruto "dobe". :P Hahaha. Naruto will be going to school soon, and there'll be more NaruHina even if they're just friends for now, so no worries there! But it'll be a while before secrets are revealed. As I've said, it'd be too anticlimactic and sudden to let them be known now. :)

**StormSurfer**: Thank you so much! It means a lot to me to hear (read?) that I'm doing a good job with the characters and such, and I'm glad you liked the fluff. ^_^ I was mildly concerned I'd get reviews telling me I did too much fluff too soon even when I'm keeping them as just friends for a while. Yeah, I debated making Naruto clueless about Hinata's attraction to him and all that usual stuff, but I decided to not use the "traditional beat around the bush style" as you call it (I like that name for it btw) for a few reasons. First one being I have a hard time writing Naruto as THAT clueless. I want to punch him so many times in the manga for being that clueless about Hinata's feelings. I get why he's like that—living alone and being ignored all your life would generally make a person incapable of telling when someone as shy as Hinata actually likes you—but it's so frustrating at the same time. Which is what led me to my second reason for making their feelings more straightforward: In this story, Naruto has his parents and has had girlfriends in his past, so he's more in tune with others' feelings toward him than canon Naruto. The last reason is just what you said: to make opportunities for really cute or really hilarious situations. You can expect Naruto and Hinata to be fairly flirtastic in this story—well, Naruto more so than Hinata, but she will have her moments. :) And yeah, I have no life, so that leads to quicker updates. Hahaha... Ah, well. At least I'm having fun. :P

**WaveWind91**: Thanks! Always nice to hear my story's unique. ^^ And I will indeed keep writing to the end!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE:** *sighs deeply and slams head on desk* Okay, so I done goofed something. Apparently at my 25 years of age, I already forgot how old I and my classmates were a long, long time ago in high school. I realized that I made Naruto a year younger than he should be for what grade I put him in. I'm keeping the characters' birthdays the same, so that would mean that Naruto now at 15 would be turning 16 in his junior year, and then 17 in his senior year. I want Naruto to be 18 when he reaches his last year of high school in this story, so I've bumped him down a grade. I've already went back and fixed this in the previous chapters, but for those of you who already have read the original, I'm letting you know here. Hope you guys actually read my notes 'cause if you don't, I'm going to direct you to them if you send me reviews or PMs asking me. However, do let me know if I've missed something. I think I fixed everything in the previous chapters, but being the human that I am, I'm not infallible. So feel free to tell me if I've missed something (but do so nicely. No need to flame over that).

Sorry for the confusion. I tend to forget how old _I_ am sometimes, so when you consider that, it's not too surprising. -.-'

So without further delay, on to chapter 4!

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The next day, Naruto actually managed to wake up in the morning. After completing his morning routine, he stood in the middle of his room wearing his normal outfit thinking. He'd been about to go down to the kitchen for breakfast before leaving to go to Hinata's when a thought had struck him. He had this unexplainable feeling that he should take his gear and outfit with him today, and deciding to trust the instinct—if that's what it was—he started thinking of how he could bring his stuff with him.

_"I could bring a bag, but would that be weird? Carrying a bag around with me? Seems too much like carrying a purse, although even if I was a girl, this wouldn't be any easier—my stuff wouldn't fit into a purse..."_ he argued in his head. Sighing, he decided just to grab his bag that he used for a backpack in school—it was a light brown, drawstring bag—and started throwing his ninja gear into it. _"I'll think of an excuse on the way. In the end, it's better to have this stuff in case I need it and risk ridicule I guess than to not have it and end up needing it." _Throwing his bag over his shoulder, Naruto left his room to go eat breakfast.

He grabbed some cereal instead of ramen, thinking he would just get some later at the mall, and went to eat in the living room. Jiraiya was already there working on his new book on his laptop as he watched the news on TV. Naruto sat down on the other end of the couch opposite his grandpa and started eating. He wasn't surprised when the news started talking about the Kitsune Ninja again, but when the reporter started interviewing a police officer about last night's mugging and the hero who caught the perpetrator, he was shocked by the officer's reaction.

"He's a menace. This Kitsune Ninja is no hero as he would have us believe. He's taking the law into his own hands, and last night, he nearly beat the prime suspect to death." the officer argued vehemently when the reporter asked him about his opinion on the vigilante.

"But officer, our sources tell us that the suspect was still left in better shape than the victim," the reporter countered.

The cop sighed. "That's true, and at least it shows the guy has some restraint. But we can't have civilians dressing up in costumes and thinking they can do our job. It's not safe for them, and it interferes with due process."

The reporter nodded. "True. So how is the KPD planning to stop him? Do you have any leads on who he is?"

"No," the officer grumbled. "Witness reports suggest that he's young by the sound of his voice, but that's all we've got so far. Hopefully, he's watching now and listens when we say: Stop playing superhero and let the police do their job."

_"Fat chance of that,"_ Naruto retorted mentally as he took another bite of his cereal. _"You guys would never have found that bastard without me, so what're you complaining about? Stupid donut-sucking pig."_ While Naruto as the Kitsune Ninja found the culprit by tracking his scent, he was able to prove the guy did it because the man's clothes had the victim's blood on him as well as the victim's credit cards and wallet. _"But I should make a note to change my voice and talk different while being the Kitsune Ninja from now on,"_ the young hero thought.

Tuning out the rest of the interview, Naruto looked over at his grandpa, who was apparently so engrossed in his writing he hadn't even noticed his grandson was in the room. The blonde frowned at the perverted expression on the old man's face and shook his head.

"Oi, Ero-jii-san!" Naruto called to get his attention.

A vein popped on Jiraiya's forehead in irritation at the old nickname. "Naruto! Don't call me that!" he yelled.

The boy just giggled impishly. "Sorry, sorry. Hehehe."

"Hmph. So what'd you want, gaki?" Jiraiya asked as he folded his arms.

Naruto's expression turned more serious and just a little sad. "Well, nothing really, but now that you ask, I was wondering...have you heard from Mom and Dad lately?"

Jiraiya's face went from irritated to sympathetic, and he put his computer on the coffee table. "Yeah, Naruto. I talked to your dad a couple of days ago. Your parents are fine and said they'd call you as soon as they could." Naruto just nodded while looking down at his now-empty bowl. The white-haired man moved closer to his grandson and put a hand on his shoulder. "You alright, gaki?" he asked gently.

"Yeah. I just miss them," Naruto replied, his voice low and sad. He looked up at his grandpa. "Why can't they call me?"

Jiraiya sighed. "They're just really busy," he told him, hating having to tell Naruto that. He knew it made the boy feel like his parents didn't have time for him, which while true, it didn't mean that they didn't _want_ to talk to him or that they considered their work more important. Jiraiya knew that Minato and Kushina wanted nothing more than to be with their son again, but what they had to do was more important than what they wanted and it was for the safety of their son as well. Jiraiya only wished he could tell Naruto about it, but he couldn't. Seeing his grandson wince in sadness at those words, Jiraiya added, "Believe me, Naruto, they want to talk to you—actually, they want to be back here with you. But they just can't."

Naruto stood up from the couch. "Ya know, it'd be a lot easier to believe that if someone could just tell me what exactly it is they're doing."

"Naruto, you know that—"

"You can't tell me. I know," the boy finished for him. He sighed and headed for the kitchen saying, "Well, let me know when they find the time to talk to me."

Not knowing what to say to make him feel better, Jiraiya just returned to his work with a frustrated sigh.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

As Naruto walked along the sidewalk heading for Hinata's house, the boy tried his best to get his mind off his parents and what they could possibly be doing by thinking of his new blue-haired friend. A light dusting of pink crossed his whiskered cheeks as he thought of Hinata's long silky indigo hair, her beautiful eyes that made him think of lavender-colored moons, her soft smile that made his heart race, and that laugh of hers which sounded like the sweetest music to his ears.

_"And that's just her looks. Her smell is amazing too. Never thought lavender and cinnamon could smell so good together... And from what I know of her so far, her personality far outshines all that... Sweet, quiet, shy...nerdy."_ He chuckled at that last one. _"More girls should be nerds like her. Makes her far more interesting..."_

To passersby on the street, the boy looked like a blushing, grinning idiot, but he was oblivious to their looks of confusion and amusement. It wasn't until he heard a familiar voice—one that he would never forget—that he came to his senses.

"Long time no see...Naruto."

Whipping his head toward the source of the voice, the blonde came face-to-face with none other than Kurama, who was sitting beneath a tree alongside the sidewalk. But something was different. While Naruto was instinctively sure it was Kurama sitting before him, he was confused as to why the fox looked so different from before. The most notable changes were Kurama's size, which was now that of a normal fox, and the number of his tails, which was now down to one. Besides that, though, Kurama also looked...cuter for lack of a better word. His head was rounder and his eyes a little bigger—completely different from the fiercer, sharper look of his head and face from before.

Looking left then right just to make sure he was alone before he started talking to a fox, Naruto said, "Kurama? Is that really you? What happened? You look...different!"

The normal-looking fox chuckled. "In a minute, Kit. I want you to come with me where we can talk more privately." He started to walk into a small group of trees, gesturing with his tail for the boy to follow.

"Okaaay..." The blonde muttered as he went after him.

Once they were both hidden from view, Kurama turned to face Naruto, who crouched down to be more level with the fox. "So what happened, Kurama? Why do you look so different, and how'd you get here?" the blonde asked before the fox could speak.

Kurama sighed. "Impatient, aren't you, Kit? I look like this because the experiments those white-coat bastards did on me gave me the ability to alter my shape. That's the long and short. As for how I got here, I told you I'd get myself out, didn't I?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, you did. But aren't they looking for you? And how far can you change your appearance? Can you look human?"

"No," Kurama answered with a shake of his head. "I can only change shape within the limit of looking like a fox, but I don't know the scientific details, so don't ask. And also, yes, they are looking for me. However, finding a fox isn't easy, and they can't exactly make their search known to anyone. Can you imagine the panic that would result if they let anyone know there's a science-experiment fox out there that can make itself the size of a horse?"

The boy chuckled at the thought. "Okay, so then why're you here? What'd you need to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to talk to you about what you've been doing with my gift," Kurama said as he sat down and curled his tail around his legs. Cocking his head to the side, he asked, "Crime-fighting?"

"Is that disapproval or ridicule?" Naruto asked dryly as he sweat-dropped.

"Neither, really," Kurama said with his version of a foxy grin. "I'm actually glad you chose to do something useful with my gift. I was mildly concerned you'd take the usual human path of using it for your own personal gain."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said it didn't cross my mind," Naruto admitted while scratching the back of his head. "But in the end, I knew it wasn't my style. Besides," he chuckled, "it's not like these abilities you gave me are 'take over the world' strong, ya know."

"Hmph!" the fox grunted as he feigned indignation. "Perhaps I should just take my gift back then."

"What?! You can do that?!" Naruto shouted in alarm.

Kurama slapped his tail over the boy's mouth and held it there. "Shush! Geez! Do you want people to come over here?" Naruto shook his head, and the fox removed his tail. "And to answer your question, no, I can't take it back. I was just kidding."

"Oh."

"So back to what I wanted to talk to you about," Kurama flicked his tail in mild irritation, "I'm coming with you."

"Huh? What do you mean you're coming with me?" Naruto asked confused.

"I'm joining you on your crime-fighting spree," the fox clarified.

"But how? Why?" The boy didn't understand why Kurama would want to help him take down robbers and such.

Kurama sighed. "Naruto," he began, and the boy was taken aback by the seriousness of the fox's tone. "Something bad is about to happen in this city. Something only someone with your superhuman abilities will be able to deal with. But even then, you won't be able to do it alone.

"The ones behind the coming danger are none other than the white-coats whom I escaped from, and I intend to make them pay for experimenting on me. And you...you want to save the people of this city, correct?" the fox asked Naruto.

"Yes, of course! If those lab guys try anything, then I wanna stop them!" Naruto growled with determination burning in his blue eyes as he clenched his fingers tight into a fist. "But what are they gonna do exactly?"

Kurama shook his head. "I do not know. As I made my escape, I heard a few of them talking about this city being 'one giant experiment' and that they were going to start on their plans soon. My instinct that warns me against impending danger is screaming at me about this."

_"I wonder if that's what was telling me to bring my gear with me today,"_ Naruto thought as he nodded to what the fox was telling him.

"So what say you, Naruto? Shall we join forces to get my revenge and save the people of the city?" Kurama asked as he held out his right paw.

"Yeah!" the young hero declared as he grasped the offered paw and shook it. "We'll be partners in crime...fighting! Hehehe!"

Kurama sweat-dropped and face-pawed. "Kit...that sounded idiotic!"

Naruto just laughed and picked up the fox by the scruff of his neck. "Ah, go chase your tail, Kurama!"

"What are you doing?! Put me down this instant!" the fox growled and flailed his paws, trying to claw at Naruto's face.

The blonde just slid his bag off his shoulder and opened it with his free hand. Then he stuffed Kurama into the bag as he said, "Oh, calm down! If you want to go with me, then this is the best way in case you need to hide!" Mentally, he added, _"And it's just the excuse I needed to carry around my bag."_

Kurama popped his head back out of the bag still growling. "Fine. But you will pay for this later." He narrowed his eyes at the boy.

Laughing, Naruto stuffed the poor fox's head back down in the bag and tightened the drawstrings. Slinging the bag back over his shoulder—somewhat gently—he told Kurama, "Don't be such a grump! I'm on my way to meet my friends, and you gotta pretend to be my pet."

A mixture of a growl and a sigh came from the bag. "Again, fine. This will NOT be a permanent arrangement, though."

"Whatever you say, Kurama," Naruto smirked as he stood up and continued on to Hinata's house. "And remember, you can't talk to anyone, ya know?"

"Well, duh. You really are an idiot."

Naruto just laughed, amused by his fox friend's sarcasm and grumpiness.

**-But if you can understand this, then I can talk to you with others around,- **came a series of yips and growls that the blonde was shocked he could decipher instantly.

Naruto stopped walking. "Kurama? What was that?" he whispered over his shoulder to the bag.

**-So you can understand this?-**

"Yeah. How—What are you doing?"

**-Keep walking and stop whispering to your bag before someone thinks you're crazy. I'll explain,-** the fox instructed him, and Naruto obeyed. **-To put it simply, you can talk to animals.-**

"What?!" the boy practically shouted.

Kurama wiggled in the bag, wanting to get out and strike Naruto for his sudden outburst. **-Be quiet, you idiot! You're going to get yourself hauled off to the funny farm!-** There was a sigh and a pause before the fox spoke again. **-It may not be all animals, but at the very least foxes, if not the entire canine family. Don't expect intelligent conversation from any other besides me, though. Keep in mind that the experiments done to me made me as smart as a human.-**

Naruto nodded and risked replying in a whisper, "Gotcha." In his mind, he said, _"This is beyond weird. But freakin' cool!"_

**-Good. Now hurry up to wherever you're going! I want out of this bag!-**

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The whisker-faced boy rang the doorbell of the Hyuuga household, and like before, it was answered within seconds by George the butler. "Ah! Master Naruto! Good to see you again. Come in," he ushered the young man inside. "Lady Hinata and her friends have been waiting for you up in her room. Follow me."

George led Naruto up to Hinata's room, and along the way, the blonde asked, "They haven't been waiting long, have they?"

"No, no. Master Kiba and Master Shino arrived only fifteen minutes or so before you," George informed him.

"Ah. That's good," Naruto replied.

Reaching Hinata's doorway, which was open due to her father's rule regarding when she had male guests, George knocked on the doorframe, catching the attention of the young blue-haired woman and her two friends sitting on her couch as well as a large white dog with a black spot on each ear laying on the floor. "Lady Hinata, Master Naruto has arrived."

"Thank you, George. Let him in, please," Hinata said sweetly.

George stepped to the side to allow Naruto in. As the blonde walked into the room, he gave Hinata a foxy grin.

"Hey, Hinata! How's it going?"

Said girl and her two friends stood up from the couch, and Hinata limped over to Naruto. "Hello, N-Naruto. Glad you could make it," the bluenette returned his greeting as a slight shade of pink crossed her cheeks.

"You're not using your crutches," the boy observed.

"Yeah, those pain pills really helped. My ankle's still a bit sore, but I can walk without my crutches today," she told him happily.

"Awesome! But let me know if it gets worse, alright?" Naruto requested with a small smile.

Hinata nodded, a gentle smile and soft blush on her face as she had a feeling he was suggesting he'd carry her. Brushing that thought aside, the bluenette motioned for her two friends to come closer. "N-Naruto, I'd like you to meet my friends here. This is Kiba Inuzuka and his dog, Akamaru," she indicated the boy on her right who had short slightly spiky brown hair, sharp-looking eyes, wore a dark brown hoodie and blue jeans, and had a red fang-looking tattoo on each cheek.

His dog sat on his right side and gave Naruto a friendly bark, which the blonde understood as, **-Hi!-**

_"And I thought I'd get flak for my whisker-marks if I called them tattoos..."_ Naruto thought wryly as he shook Kiba's hand and said, "Nice to meet you."

"And this is Shino Aburame," Hinata indicated the boy on her left. He wore a sage green hoodie with the hood up covering his hair, black jeans, and dark sunglasses—or rather, goggles—that prevented anyone from seeing his eyes.

Naruto shook his hand as well and thought, _"It's freakin' August! I know I'm wearing a black coat, but it's nowhere near as warm-looking as this guy's getup!"_

"So you're the one who saved our Hinata," Shino said in a monotone as he stuffed his hands into his hoodie pockets. "Thank you, Naruto. Hinata is like a little sister to us. We appreciate you looking out for her." He gave the blonde a small bow.

"Ah, it was no big deal," Naruto replied with a grin as he scratched the back of his head. "I just couldn't stand by while those guys were trying to hurt her, ya know?"

Hinata smiled at him, and Shino just gave a nod while saying, "Indeed."

Kiba, however, did not look convinced. He frowned and raised an eyebrow at the blonde while looking him up and down. Before Naruto could ask him if there was a problem, though, Akamaru stepped toward him and started sniffing him, paying particular interest to the boy's bag.

Akamaru barked. **-Fox!-**

"What'cha got in the bag, Naruto?" Kiba asked suspiciously as he folded his arms.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! It's something I found along the way, but before I show him to you guys, I wanna be sure Akamaru won't attack him," Naruto answered as he took the bag from his shoulder and held it in his arms.

"Akamaru, come here," Kiba commanded his dog, who instantly obeyed. "Sit, boy, and stay." Again, the dog obeyed. "Alright, he'll be good now. So let's see this thing!"

Naruto grinned and opened the bag. "Okay! Everyone meet my new friend Kurama!" Naruto announced, and the fox popped his head out of the bag. The other three humans were surprised, but Hinata recovered first.

She let out a happy squeak and exclaimed, "Oh, Naruto! He's cute! Can I pet him?" She reached out a hesitant hand.

**-She may,- **Kurama told Naruto, and Akamaru cocked his head at the fox's speech.

"Yeah, sure. He doesn't bite," Naruto said to the bluenette, who smiled happily as she began scratching behind Kurama's ears. _"At least I don't think he'll do to you what he did to me. He better not..."_

**-She's really good at this,-** Kurama let out a few contented yips. **-Is she your mate, Kit?-**

Naruto's face took on a distinct crimson shade as he struggled not to say anything to the fox lest he look like a nutcase. But Kiba noticed his blush and asked, "Something wrong, Naruto? Your face is all red."

Naruto coughed awkwardly into his free hand. "O-Oh, it's nothing." He grinned through his blush and added, "I just noticed how pretty Hinata looks today is all."

Which wasn't a total lie—he thought she was beautiful every time he'd seen her so far, and today was no different. However, she looked extra cute to him today in her light blue T-shirt that fit her torso well and her blue jeans that conformed to her shapely hips and legs and with that adorable smile on her face as she petted Kurama. Her smile faded momentarily as she blushed at Naruto's compliment, but it quickly returned.

"Th-Thank you, Naruto," Hinata said quietly as Shino raised an eyebrow at the interaction between his good friend and their new blonde acquaintance.

But Kiba was not pleased. He wasn't comfortable with this guy who they just met flirting with shy naïve Hinata, however slight that flirtation was. Unable to think of a good way to voice his opinion, though, he just made a slight cough to gain attention and asked, "Shouldn't we get going?"

"Oh yes, we should," Hinata agreed and stopped petting Kurama, who whined a little in disappointment.

"Okay, Kurama, gotta get your head back in the bag!" Naruto said a little too cheerfully as he stuffed the fox back down.

**-Ow, Kit! What the crap?!-** Kurama growled.

"N-Naruto! Be more gentle with him!" Hinata chided softly when she heard the growl.

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "It's okay, Hinata. He just doesn't like the bag. But it's the only thing I have to carry him in, so he just kinda has to deal with it until I get home."

"Why'd you pick up a wild fox anyway?" Kiba asked.

"He kept following me and wouldn't leave me alone, so ya know, I figured I'd just take him with me," Naruto half-lied with a shrug. "I always wanted a pet anyway."

**-Pet!- **Kurama scoffed.** -I'm smarter than you are, Kit! Can't believe I have to pretend to be some mere pet...-**

"He sure makes a lot of noise," Kiba observed as they listened to the growls and snarls coming from the bag. "You should probably take him to a vet and get him checked. Make sure he's not rabid or something."

**-If you do, so help me, I will tear something important off your person,-** Kurama threatened with a low dangerous growl, causing Naruto to sweat a little—he knew the fox wasn't bluffing.

"My sister's a vet. We could swing by her clinic to get him checked," Kiba suggested.

"No, no! That's okay!" Naruto said quickly. "I'm sure he's fine, but I'll have him checked later. Let's just go hang out for now."

The fang-tattooed boy was about to argue, but Hinata laid a gentle hand on his shoulder to keep him quiet. "It'll be fine, Kiba. Let's just go have fun, alright?"

He sighed, but reluctantly agreed. "Alright. Let's go."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The four humans along with Kurama in Naruto's bag and Akamaru got into Kiba's car to head to the mall. Kiba, obviously, was driving, Shino rode shotgun, and Naruto and Hinata were in the back with Akamaru. And because Kiba's dog liked to look out the window, Hinata sat in the middle in the back between him and Naruto, not that she minded sitting closer to Naruto and neither did the blonde boy.

The two of them were trying _really_ hard not to notice that Hinata's right leg was touching Naruto's left as they sat there, but they were both blushing all the same—Hinata more so than Naruto. And the whisker-faced boy was trying hard not to say something flirtatious. Meanwhile, Kiba was doing his best to keep his eyes on the road and not watch—or glare—at Naruto through the rearview mirror, and Shino was quite intrigued as well as amused by the whole situation. Not that anyone would know by looking at him, however. He remained outwardly as impassive as ever.

Only a few minutes into the drive, though, Kurama burst out of the bag with a loud yip, **-Freedom!-** He looked at Naruto and told him, **-As long as we're in the car, Kit, I'm not staying in your bag.-** Naruto just replied with a barely perceptible nod, and Kurama looked over at Hinata, who picked up the little fox and put him in her lap. She began petting him and scratching behind his ears, and Kurama responded by purring and rubbing his face against her hand.

_"Lucky bastard,"_ Naruto thought with a scowl on his face.

Seeing Naruto's expression, Kurama decided to have a bit of fun at the blonde boy's expense. **-What's the matter, Kit? You're not jealous are you?-** The young hero just gritted his teeth and looked out the window. **-Ignoring me, are you? Well, let's see how you handle this!-** Naruto couldn't help himself and turned back to see what the fox was doing. Kurama climbed up from Hinata's lap and started to nuzzle her face and then her well-endowed chest. Hinata giggled at the fox's cuddliness, and Kurama gave Naruto a fox-equivalent of a smirk and said, **-Hehehe. Kit, you have no idea what you're missing! Your mate is really soft and—-**

**-Shut up!- ** Naruto suddenly growled in rage, and five pairs of eyes looked at him in surprise.

"Naruto?" Hinata asked concerned. "Are you okay?" All three of the other humans heard him growl, but only Kurama and, to some extent, Akamaru understood him.

"Yeah, man. Why'd you suddenly growl?" Kiba asked while watching the blonde through the rearview mirror.

Naruto coughed awkwardly and cleared his throat. "I-It was nothing. I just have something caught in my throat is all." To make it believable, he cough-growled a few more times while subtly saying to Kurama at the same time, **-You had your fun. Now stop.-**

"Maybe we should stop by a restaurant first and get you something to drink," Hinata suggested with a smile. "It's lunchtime anyway."

"Sounds good to me," Naruto agreed as did Kiba and Shino.

As Kiba turned the vehicle to head for the agreed-upon restaurant, which happened to be the ramen stand that Naruto had found on his first day exploring the city, Kurama moved from Hinata's arms and climbed up on Naruto's shoulders. He put his muzzle next to the boy's ear and said, **-Calm down, Kit. I was just playing with you. I don't have any interest like that in a human anyway. I'm a fox for crying out loud!-**

Naruto looked sidelong at him, but was unable to say anything to him without looking like a lunatic—and any more cough-growling would probably make Hinata think he was choking to death. So he settled for reaching up and scratching Kurama behind the ear while giving him a glare. The fox got the message: _"I forgive you this time, but don't do that again."_

Parking on the street near the stand, the four humans and two animals got out of the car and walked over to the restaurant. The ramen stand, which was called Ichiraku Ramen, was an open-air restaurant where customers sat on stools at a bar to order and eat their food, which was cooked in the kitchen behind the bar. The four humans each took a stool—Naruto on the far left, Hinata on his right, then Kiba, and then Shino. Akamaru lay down behind Kiba, and Kurama curled up on the one stool to Naruto's left. The humans placed their order—with Naruto ordering three bowls while everyone else ordered one—and while he was preparing the food, the cook started talking to Naruto.

"Hey, blondie," the man called to get the boy's attention.

"Huh? Who me?" Naruto asked pointing to himself.

The cook chuckled. "Well, who else here has blonde hair?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head as his companions chuckled a bit at him. "Right. What'd you want, old man?" he asked good-naturedly, causing the cook to chuckle again at him.

"I was just wondering something. You were here the other day, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. I just moved here and was out lookin' at the city and thought I'd stop by here since you guys serve my favorite food," Naruto told him.

"Favorite food indeed! The main reason I remember you, kid, is 'cause you ordered eight bowls!" the cook guffawed.

Naruto laughed as well, especially when his companions looked at him with a bit of shock in their eyes. "Well, what can I say, old man? When I like something, I _really_ like it, ya know!" he stated with a pointed look at Hinata, causing said girl to blush at his implication.

The cook laughed again as he brought Naruto and the others their orders. "Well then, I guess I can expect to see you around here pretty often, huh?" He held out his hand to Naruto, which the boy shook, as he said, "Name's Teuchi Ichiraku. I'm the owner here."

"Nice ta meet ya, old man!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully with a foxy grin. "I'm Naruto Namikaze, and these are my new friends, Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame."

Teuchi greeted each of them and said, "Hope to see you guys around here again." And with one last smile, he returned to cooking for some of the other customers who just arrived at the other end of the bar.

The four teenagers then turned their attention to their food, the other three marveling at how fast Naruto could put his away. Eventually, the blonde noticed their looks of incredulity and paused in his eating. "What?"

"Geez, Naruto. You act like you haven't eaten in a month!" Kiba nearly shouted, staring wide-eyed at the whisker-faced boy.

"So? I'm a hungry guy, and this is good stuff!" Naruto defended himself, not feeling the least bit ashamed of his eating habits.

"Still, perhaps if you slowed down, you wouldn't have to eat so much," Shino suggested in his monotone voice.

"Nah, I tried that before," Naruto replied. He slurped up some more noodles before adding, "It just made me pace myself enough to make me able to eat more. Trust me, the faster I eat, the less I eat."

Hinata just smiled at him as she finished a bite of her own. _"He's like a little kid the way he eats. It may not be good manners, but he's too adorable about it for it to be offensive." _To her other two friends, she said, "T-To each his own, guys."

"Thanks, Nata," Naruto smiled at her while Kiba just let out a 'hmph' and Shino just raised a brow before returning to his food.

"'Nata'?" Hinata questioned the nickname.

"Do you not like it?" Naruto asked slightly nervous.

Hinata shook her head. "No, I don't mind it. It just surprised me a little."

"Ah. Well, I tend to give people nicknames—some good and some bad. And the bad ones don't necessarily mean I don't like the person, ya know," Naruto explained after another slurp of his ramen. "Like with Teuchi here. I'll keep calling him 'old man' but that just means I like him and his shop here."

"Thanks, Naruto!" Teuchi called from where he was cooking, overhearing the boy.

"You're welcome, old man!" Naruto called back with a grin. Turning back to Hinata, he said, "And I call you 'Nata' 'cause I like you and don't want to give you a bad nickname." He scratched the back of his head.

"I see," Hinata replied with a smile. "Well, I like my nickname as well as the one you used yesterday."

"Hmm...you mean 'Gadget Girl?" he asked and she nodded. "Hehe. I can call you that too every now and then." He gave her a foxy grin, making her giggle.

"So what would you call me and Shino then?" Kiba asked, bringing himself and the silent boy to his right into the conversation.

Scratching his chin in thought, Naruto replied, "Well, I'd have to know you guys better first. Right now, I can't think of anything other than 'Dog Boy' and 'Unusually-Silent-Kinda-Creeps-Me-Out Guy'."

Kiba laughed at Shino's nickname, and said boy just raised an eyebrow at Naruto. The tension grew as Shino continued to stare and Kiba's laughter died away, and Naruto was starting to feel really uncomfortable about making that joke when suddenly Shino said, "I like bugs," before returning to his food.

Naruto burst out laughing. "Alright! 'Bug Boy' it is!"

A small, nearly imperceptible smile appeared on Shino's face.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Sometime later, the group of four was wandering around the mall. Dogs were allowed, so Akamaru was there as well at his master's side. However, the group figured it was best if Kurama stayed hidden in Naruto's bag since he was technically a wild animal, and that might get them kicked out. The fox in question begrudgingly agreed.

None of them really had a goal in mind, so they just wandered wherever they felt like it. At some point, they'd ended up at a bookstore where Hinata bought a couple of fantasy novels as well as a book about electronics, Shino bought a book about various kinds of insects, Kiba likewise bought a book about dogs, and Naruto bought a few manga volumes from a couple different series that he liked—one was of course about ninjas, and the other centered around a guy and his little brother in a world where people could use a science known as alchemy.

Their next stop happened to be a video game store, which didn't hold much interest for Kiba or Shino as they didn't quite share the love for gaming that Naruto and Hinata possessed, so they hung back while the blonde and bluenette looked through the games for sale. Naruto ended up buying the game he tried out at Hinata's the other day, and Hinata bought a new game that was an RPG that involved space, aliens, and plenty of hard science fiction fun.

When the group stopped for a snack break, Kiba asked Naruto if he could talk to him alone for a second, and the blonde obliged him, leaving Hinata and Shino as well as Akamaru and Kurama—in Hinata's care and still in the bag—at their table in the food court. Kiba had been wanting to say something to Naruto about the blonde's flirting with Hinata all day, but hadn't had the opportunity to bring it up because he didn't want to embarrass his blue-haired friend. But as the day had gone by, Kiba had watched as Naruto's flirting with Hinata continued, and he decided he needed to say something now.

"What's up?" Naruto asked when the two of them were out of earshot of the others.

"I just wanted to ask you what your plans toward Hinata are," Kiba replied.

"My plans? What do you mean?" Naruto inquired innocently. He really didn't get where the fang-tattooed boy was going with this.

"I mean, you've been flirting with her all day! Are you planning to ask her out or what?" Kiba answered with some slight irritation.

Naruto sighed. "Look, Kiba. I get that you're her friend and just looking out for her, but I just met you today and don't really feel like I need to tell you anything, ya know?"

"No, you look, Naruto," Kiba said through gritted teeth. "Hinata's one of my best friends, and all her past boyfriends have been real jerks to her. So I wanna make sure she doesn't get hurt again."

Naruto studied the brown-haired young man for a moment before asking, "Kiba, do you have any interest in her?"

Kiba blinked in mild surprise at the question, but answered, "If you mean romantically, then no. Hinata's like a little sister to me and Shino. Sure, we can see how she's attractive, but we just never really felt that way about her. And I'm pretty sure she's never had any interest in us like that. But what—"

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't asking me out of jealousy or anything," Naruto cut him off. "Now that I know you're just trying to protect your sister, I'll tell you this: Yes, I am interested in her. However, she and I both agreed to just be friends for now. We both agreed to get to know each other first before going anywhere else."

"Wait. Seriously? She told you she likes you too?"

Naruto sweat-dropped. "Is that really so hard to believe?"

Kiba shook his head. "With Hinata it kinda is. She's so shy I would've thought if you guys liked each other at all, you'd be beating around the bush about it forever."

Naruto chuckled. "Well, in her defense, I told her I like her first, and those pain pills she was on seemed to take quite a bit of her shyness away, so I think that's how she was able to tell me she likes me."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Kiba said with a nod. "But just friends for now, huh? Why? If you both like each other, then why not just date?"

Naruto shrugged. "You'll have to ask her why she agreed to that, but as for me, I prefer to take things slow. At least with romantic-type stuff," he added when he noticed Kiba's eyebrow raise as the brown-haired boy thought of Naruto's eating speed. "Besides, you've met her dad, right?" Kiba nodded. "Well, then you should know what I mean when I say I didn't feel like walking into that potential minefield. I'm not sure what a guy like him would do if some guy his daughter just met suddenly asked if he could date her, ya know?"

"You gotta point there," Kiba said with a laugh. Then he looked at Naruto for a second. "Alright, you seem like a good guy, Naruto. But if you hurt Hinata in any way, me and Shino will kick your ass."

To his surprise, Naruto smiled at him. "Believe me, Kiba. If I do, I won't resist that ass-kicking 'cause I know I'll deserve it. I may've only known her for about three days, but I can tell Nata's a really good, sweet person. No one should ever hurt her, and anyone who does deserves an ass-kicking. Even if it happens to be me."

Kiba laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder and with a grin told him, "You and I are gonna get along just fine, Naruto. Now come on. We should get back to them before Hinata worries about you too much."

Naruto grinned as well and the two of them walked back to their table and rejoined their friends. The four of them made light conversation about where to go next as they ate their food when suddenly a loud female voice was heard.

"Hey, Hinata!"

The aforementioned girl and her three male friends turned to see two other girls approaching them. One had short pink hair that nearly reached chin-length with a red headband worn over her head to keep it out of her jade-green eyes and wore a red tank-top and black shorts, and the other had rather long, light blonde hair tied up in a ponytail with her bangs covering the right side of her face, light blue eyes, and wore a purple tank top and purple shorts.

"Hello, Ino, Sakura," Hinata greeted the two girls with a smile and wave.

Ino, the blonde and also the one who had shouted, came up to Hinata and hugged her from behind. "Hey, girl! What'cha been up to? Besides hanging out with Dog Breath and Bug Man again?" She giggled at Kiba and Shino good-naturedly, who just rolled their eyes or raised an eyebrow respectively. But then Ino spied Naruto. "Oh, but who's this?" she asked as she sauntered over to the spiky-haired blonde. Then she gasped and pretty much glomped the confused boy from behind, draping her arms over his chest and smiling slyly as she said to Hinata, "Is this the knight in shining armor who saved you the other day?"

Hinata blushed heavily at Ino's choice of words, especially when Naruto cocked an eyebrow at her. "Y-Yes, th-this i-is N-Naruto."

"Ino! Stop! You're embarrassing her!" the pinkette—apparently Sakura—chided her friend.

Ino rolled her eyes and muttered, "Like that's hard to do." Then she smiled cheerfully at the blonde boy, who was growing increasingly uncomfortable with her hugging him. "Hey, Naruto. My name's Ino Yamanaka. I've never seen you around school before. Did you just move here?"

"Uh...yeah. A little over a week ago from Hajime," Naruto answered as he cast a look to Hinata, Kiba, and Shino that said: _"Someone please make her get off me."_

"Hajime? Never heard of it. Small town, huh?" she asked and he nodded. "Hm... Well, then you'll need someone to show you around the city. I'd be more than happy to," she said suggestively as she began to trace small circles on the bare part of Naruto's chest, causing the poor boy to turn red with embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Kiba was trying not to burst out laughing, Sakura was rolling her eyes, Shino remained impassive while thinking the blonde girl was being foolish, and Hinata...she was doing her best to stay calm. Naruto had already admitted that he likes her—Hinata—and she'd told him she likes him, so seeing Ino hanging all over him like that made the blue-haired girl feel something she rarely ever felt. Jealousy.

"What about Sai, Ino? I don't think he'd appreciate you going out with another guy," Hinata pointed out calmly. She didn't stutter, nor did she blush. And for those reasons, Hinata felt somewhat proud of herself for saying what was on her mind with confidence.

However, the moment was short-lived as Ino merely shrugged and replied, "He and I aren't dating at the moment. The guy shows absolutely no emotion, even when he tells me I'm keeping him from his drawing. So I'm free as a bird now." She turned back to Naruto and started nuzzling his cheek with her own. "So what d'ya say, cutie? Wanna take me out to dinner tonight?" Naruto sweat-dropped, and was trying to find a way to let the girl down gently so she didn't scream in his ear or something.

Hinata was borderline livid now, but thankfully Sakura noticed and decided to intervene. The pinkette walked over to her blonde friend and grabbed her arm. Pulling her off Naruto, Sakura said, "Okay, that's enough, Ino-pig! Can't you see your making the poor guy uncomfortable?"

"Oh, back off, Forehead! You probably just wanna ask him out yourself since things are currently off again with Sasuke!" Ino shouted at the pinkette, using the nickname that Sakura hated most as she was self-conscious about her larger-than-average forehead, while snatching her arm back away from her.

"WHAT?!" Sakura shrieked in rage.

The two continued to argue, standing almost right over Naruto, and the aforementioned boy decided slinking under the table to the other side was the best escape route. He popped his head up on the opposite side right next to Hinata, who giggled slightly at his actions, and he leaned toward her and asked, "Are they always like this?"

Kiba could no longer hold in his amusement and exploded with laughter. "Oh man! You have no idea, Naruto! And it's too bad for you that they like you!"

"Hey! I do not!" Sakura shouted at the fang-tattooed boy, her argument with Ino momentarily forgotten.

"Well, I do!" Ino yelled happily as she made to move toward Naruto again.

In response, the whisker-faced boy pulled Hinata up from her chair and placed her in front of himself as a human shield against crazy, loud females. Seeing his actions, Ino paused for a moment and looked the two over. A smile that just barely masked her irritation crossed her face.

"Oh, I see now. Hinata's already dating you, huh, Naruto?" Ino asked but didn't wait for an answer as she added, "Come on, Naruto, you can't seriously think shy little Hinata here is prettier than me. Even Forehead would make a better date than her!"

Before responding, Naruto looked over the two other girls once more. Ino and Sakura both had a slender frame, but Ino was just a bit more endowed and had more of a curve to her figure than Sakura. Neither one of them, though, compared to Hinata's figure, so in terms of physical appearance alone, Naruto thought Hinata won hands-down. But physical appearance was secondary to him as he knew how it felt to be liked for only one's looks and nothing more. However, neither Sakura nor Ino—especially Ino—could match Hinata in terms of personality either. They were both too loud, and Ino was way too clingy and eager. He also had a feeling she would be one of those girls who'd ridicule him for playing video games while simultaneously complaining that he never spent time with her. And what Ino had just said about Hinata and even Sakura was pretty harsh in his opinion.

As he was about to speak, Sakura cut in, saying, "Hey! What do you mean even I would make a better date than her?! How low on the dating chain do you place me?!"

"Oh, get real, Sakura! Hinata could beat _you_ hands down if only she'd grow a backbone!"

"Oh yeah?! W—"

"SHUT UP!"

All eyes were suddenly on Naruto with various degrees of shock and surprise in them. Clearing his throat, the young hero continued in a calmer tone. "Ino, Sakura, I know I just met you guys, but if this is how you talk about Hinata on a regular basis, then I gotta wonder why she even calls you friends." Ino started to argue with him, but he cut her off. "I'm not done talkin'," he growled as he narrowed his blue eyes into an icy glare, and everyone decided staying quiet was the better option right then. "Now, it's none of your guys' business, but Hinata and I are _not_ dating. At least not yet anyway. We've decided to just be friends for now, got it?" he paused, and the two girls nodded. "Good. But in the meantime, I'm not interested in dating anyone else, especially girls like you who are too clingy, too loud, and don't even care that they're being mean to someone they call their friend. Who, I might add, is someone anyone would be _extremely_ _freakin' lucky_ to have as their friend. You got that?"

Again, both girls nodded, and Hinata turned around and hugged Naruto tightly. "Thank you," she whispered into his chest.

He returned the hug while whispering back to her, "No need to thank me for speaking the truth, ya know."

Letting her go, Naruto looked back up at Ino and Sakura, and both girls were shuffling their feet awkwardly, feeling ashamed for how they treated their friend.

"I'm sorry, Hinata. I was out of line," Ino said as she stared down as the ground.

"Yeah, me too. You're a really nice person, Hinata. We shouldn't have treated you like that," Sakura apologized.

Hinata just grab a hand from each girl and held them tight. "I forgive you guys, okay? Let's just be friends and forget about it."

Ino hugged the shy girl, and Sakura followed suit as soon as the blonde girl released the bluenette. "Thanks, Hinata," they both told her.

Then Sakura looked at her watch and said, "We gotta get going, Hinata, but we'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay!" she replied happily.

Ino smiled at her and then at the blonde boy behind her. "And thanks, Naruto. You were more than a little blunt, but I guess you were right."

Naruto gave her a foxy grin. "No problem! I have no issues with speaking my mind, but I hope we can at least be friends."

The blonde girl and the pinkette nodded. "Of course!" Ino said cheerfully. "Especially if our shy little friend here starts dating you soon." She laughed as Naruto and Hinata both blushed a little. "Well, we'll catch you guys later! Bye, Kiba! Bye, Shino!"

And then both girls were gone.

Kiba sighed in relief as did Shino, although he kept his unnoticed. Hinata and Naruto took their seats again, and the blonde let out a loud groan as he clutched his head in his hands with his elbows leaning on the table.

"Oh man, that was annoying!" he complained, causing his companions—including the fox in his bag—to laugh. He was about to say more when suddenly a strange coldness came over his body along with a feeling that he could only describe as 'impending doom'. His friends grew quiet as they saw Naruto wasn't saying anything and just sitting there with a look of terror in his eyes, but before anyone could say anything, Kurama burst from Naruto's bag and ran off with it.

As he ran past Naruto, he growled, **-Follow me! Quick!-**

Naruto obeyed, calling over his shoulder, "Don't worry about it, guys! I'll get him. You stay there!"

Thankfully, they did as he told them.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Naruto ran after Kurama, and the fox led him into the nearest men's restroom, which fortunately was empty. Kurama instructed Naruto to lock the door to the restroom and to get changed into his outfit. The boy immediately obeyed.

As he took off his coat and shirt and traded them for his ninja shirt in the bag, he asked, "What's going on, Kurama?"

"I assume you felt that chilling sensation as well as the feeling of incoming danger?" the fox asked before getting to the answer. Naruto nodded, and Kurama told him, "That's the instinct I told you about—the one that warns you of imminent threats. Something bad is coming if it isn't here already."

Hearing that, Naruto started changing clothes faster. He already had his ninja pants and sandals on, and was in the process of putting on his gloves, mask, and equipment pouches when he asked, "Seriously?! Well, what good is that instinct then?! I totally froze up 'cause of it until you jumped out of the bag!"

"It's because you're not used to it! Now just hurry up and get changed!" Kurama ordered him. He started stuffing Naruto's discarded normal clothes into the bag. "I'll hide your stuff and join you," he said once he saw the boy was now finished changing. "When I do, I'll be my normal size, but with black fur just so no one recognizes me."

"Got it," the Ninja said with a nod as he went for the door.

"Wait, Kit!" Kurama called out, and the young hero paused and looked back at him. "Call me 'Kyuubi' when I help you. If any of your friends are nearby and hear you call me 'Kurama', I don't think I need to tell you that would be a major tip-off as to who you are."

"Right!" the Ninja nodded again and opened the door. As he ran out, he heard a large crash and a whole lot of people screaming. _"Gotta hurry!"_ he thought as he put on a burst of speed. _"Hinata, I hope you're safe...!"_

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

And so end the chapter. With Cliffhanger no Jutsu! Hahaha! But at least I update quickly, right? Hopefully nothing happens to change that, but at least keep in mind that I'm not abandoning any of my stories.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I have _no_ idea whether or not foxes purr. I did a little internet research to find the answer, and all I really got was "some say yes, others say no". So in the end, I decided who cares, really? In this story, they freakin' purr, and I know I'm not the first Naruto fanfic writer to make foxes purr. Pretty much every story I've read where Naruto ends up merging with Kurama and gets fox-features, Naruto gains the ability to purr as well. So while Naruto may not necessarily end up that way here, Kurama at least has the ability to purr. Hopefully, that doesn't bother anyone, but if it does, well, I'm not keeping you here. (Not sure why anyone would have a problem with that anyway, but whatever. We all have our quirks). *sigh* Anyone else got the song "What Does The Fox Say?" stuck in their head now? *facepalm* Geez...

**Also: **Ero-jii-san basically means Pervy Grandpa or Pervy Old Man. Just so everyone knows.

The next chapter should have much action, but bear with me because I don't have much faith in my ability to write fight scenes. Apparently no one's had a problem with the other scenes I've written before here or in my other stories, but maybe people just think I'm doing an adequate job. I guess I can live with "good enough" but I will do my best to make the fight scenes better than that. Especially since the one coming should be fairly epic as Naruto will be fighting something more dangerous than some pathetic robbers.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know with a review if you're having fun with the story! ^_^


	5. The First of Many Battles

Greetings! Hope everyone's been looking forward to this (and that it meets/exceeds expectations)! But review answers and disclaimer first.

**Chewie Cookies**: Thanks! I will always do my best! But ya know, the troll in me is tempted to say, "No new chapter for you until you update one of your stories!" Hahaha. But I won't do that. :P I would like to read more of your stuff, though. ^^

**nightwalker4eva**: Thank you! Glad you find it interesting. ^_^ I will do my best to continue that trend, and I started on this chapter before I even posted the last one, so hopefully I got this one out to you fast enough. :)

**Ayrmed**: Yeah, more things were saying that they did than those that said they didn't, but the internet is more unreliable than reliable, ya know? And I hate research (I tend to be Shikamaru-level lazy), so I just went with making foxes purr. I always thought they seemed like some odd combination between canine and feline anyway. :P And thanks! Glad you like it. ^^

**thor94**: Ah, you will have to wait and see! :) I'll say you're close, but not quite. :P And yeah, I'm glad I got to bring Kurama back in—I love writing him and Naruto interacting with each other. Their incessant trolling of each other makes me laugh. XD

**Shinobi of life**: Something like that may occur in the future.

**Fadelucky**: I am a bit wordy, aren't I? Sorry if the chapters are too long for anyone, but I like to aim for as close to 10,000 words as I can. It's just the right length for me.

**StormSurfer**: Ya know something? I freakin' love your reviews. ^_^ To be honest, I tend to have about as much self-confidence as Hinata most of the time, so seeing your lovely reviews makes me really happy. It really helps me to hear that I'm doing a good job with the characters, setting, and pacing because I hope to write my own original story someday. Hope I don't disappoint with the fight scene. Honestly, I've never been in a fight in real life, but I've watched/read enough fight scenes to at least hope I wrote a good one myself. Let me know what you think, and I'm sorry this chapter took longer to get out than the others.

**Guest**: Thanks!

**Still liking it**: Ah, I see. Well, all I will say is maaaaybe. :P

**Mikey**: Wow. That's actually a nice confidence boost to hear that my story interested you enough that you read it despite not liking the modern-day setting Naruto stories. ^_^ Thank you very much! And if I run out of ideas and need some help, I will keep you in mind. :)

**creationschimera**: Thank you as well! Your review made me very happy. I will always try to update as soon as I can, and I'm glad people such as yourself are having as much fun reading this as I am writing it. :D And feel free to review whenever. Believe me, you are helping the author in this case just by telling me what you thought of the chapter.

Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows! A thousand cookies to all those who faved/followed the story, and 10,000 cookies to all of you who reviewed! I may be writing this for my own amusement, but that doesn't mean your reviews and such don't go a long way toward fixing my Hinata-low self-confidence. :) Your reviews have made me happy, and a happy kitsunescythe writes fast! ^^

Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, or form own Naruto. I do, however, own the characters Arashi, Naruto's jerk friend from Chapter 1, and George the butler in this story. To clarify (in case anyone's wondering or even cares) George is a Hyuuga. You know, servant Branch Family member and all that, which will come up later in the story in detail. Don't ask about the name—it's quite simple really. I needed a name, and that one came to mind. Didn't expect to mention him more than once, but well, things happen. So now he's the only character here with an English name in a sea of characters with Japanese names. Haha. Ah, well. Can't (*cough*won't*cough*) change it now.

So anyway, on to the chapter. Enjoy!

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Naruto as the Kitsune Ninja raced full-speed through the mall toward the sounds of destruction to the place all the people seemed to be running from. Finally, he reached the source of all the chaos, and as luck would have it, it was in the food court where he and his friends had been only moments before.

A large, 10-foot tall, bipedal lizard with sickly-green, scaly skin and a jaw full of jagged teeth stood in the center of countless smashed tables and chairs, roaring and trying to get its razor-sharp claws on the people who were trying to escape from it. The Ninja's blood ran cold as he saw one person trip and the lizard notice and stalk toward her. She had blue hair and lavender eyes full of fright as the monster approached her. It raised a clawed hand, preparing to skewer her.

_"MOVE NOW!" _Naruto screamed in his head as forced himself out of his frozen state. He rushed forward at an all-new level of speed and dove for the girl on the floor, grabbing her and rolling out of the way with the momentum of his dive just in time. The monster-lizard's claws scraped the ground leaving deep gashes where the girl had been only moments before.

Naruto stood up, holding the girl bridal-style in his arms, and looking down at her, he confirmed that it was indeed who he thought it was—Hinata. She threw her arms around his neck and held him tight as she sobbed into his shoulder. The young hero wanted to console her, but right now, he had bigger problems.

Jumping to evade another swipe from the monster's claws, the Ninja tried to find a good place to set Hinata down where she would be out of danger. _"But I need something to distract this thing, or he'll just attack her the minute I put her down!"_ he thought in frustration.

The answer to his plight came rushing in suddenly in the form of a large, nine-tailed, black fox with blood red eyes much like his own currently were. "Kyuubi!" the Ninja shouted in his altered voice, which was deeper and rougher, to gain the attention of the fox. "Keep him busy while I get her out of here!"

"You got it, Kit!" the fox roared in response as he launched himself toward the lizard.

The two monstrous animals exchanged slashes and bites while Kitsune Ninja ran to a safe distance from the fighting. He set the bluenette in his arms down on a bench, but she refused to let him go, clinging to his shirt with an iron grip as she continued to sob.

The Ninja knelt down in front of her and dried her tears with a gloved hand. "Hey, hey. It's alright," he said soothingly, and her sobs subsided a bit. She looked into his blood-red, slitted-pupil eyes, and rather than feeling fear at their inhuman appearance, she instead felt safe, especially when he smiled at her. Though she couldn't see the lower-half of his face, she could see the smile in his eyes and couldn't help but think there was something familiar about them.

"Wh-Wh-Who a-ar-are y-y-you?" she managed to hiccup between sobs.

"Call me 'Kitsune Ninja'," the young hero told her as he gazed into her tear-filled lavender eyes, which widened in response to his answer.

"Th-The one f-f-from th-the n-news?" she asked in awe.

"Yup!" he answered cheerfully despite the situation before continuing in a softer tone. "And that's why you gotta let me go now. I gotta take care of that thing, but you'll be safe here." He gently removed her hands from his shirt and stood up.

"Wait!" Hinata cried and the hero paused, waiting for her to continue. A blush crossed her face as she asked, "W-Will you c-c-come back h-here a-afterward?"

He leaned over and brushed some of her hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek with his hand. "Don't worry. You'll see me again in one form or another." He winked at her then stood up and took off back toward the fight.

_"What does that mean?"_ Hinata wondered as she put her hand up to her cheek.

_"I wonder if saying that was a smart move?"_ Naruto wondered as he ran back to the fight.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Meanwhile, Kurama—or rather Kyuubi—was having fun. _"Been so long since I had a good fight!"_ he thought gleefully as he dodged another swipe of the monster-lizard's claws. He countered by slamming three of his nine tails across the lizard's face. Then he followed up with a slash of his claws across the creatures flank. The monster roared in pain and twisted to smash his whip-like tail into the fox's face. The lizard's tail—being much more solid than all nine of Kyuubi's fluffy tails—had more force to it than those of the fox, causing Kyuubi to go flying to the side. Slowly rising to his feet, Kyuubi shook himself and glared at the lizard. "Nice shot. Perhaps I underestimated you."

The lizard responded with a roar as it launched itself toward the fox, who tried to halt the creature's charge by grabbing it with his nine tails. An evil smirk crossed the monster's face, showing its eerily long teeth, and it seized Kyuubi's tails in its clawed hands and with strength that surprised even Kyuubi, the lizard threw the fox up and over its head, slamming him back down to the floor. The air rushed out of Kyuubi's lungs on impact, and immediately, the lizard was upon him with one clawed hand on the fox's throat as it held down his other limbs with its scaly tail and legs. As it raised its free hand to slash Kyuubi's face, three kunai suddenly struck the lizard. It jumped back in surprise, freeing the black fox from its grip, but only one of the knives managed to make it through the creature's tough scales and imbed itself in the monster's flesh.

Naruto ran to Kyuubi's side as the large fox got to his feet. "You alright, Kyuubi?"

"Yeah," the fox coughed. "Never better."

They both eyed the lizard as it swiped the knife out of its skin and snarled at them. Crouching in a defensive position, the monster watched both of its opponents carefully.

"What is this thing, Kyuubi?" the young hero asked as he pulled out two more kunai and held them in each hand.

"The white-coats' attempt at creating Godzilla? How should I know?" Kurama asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he waved his tails angrily.

Shrugging, Naruto replied, "Well, you came from the same lab. I figured you'd know." The fox just grunted at him, so the boy decided it didn't matter and instead asked, "So how should we take it down?"

"By attacking it with everything we have!" Kyuubi declared with a feral grin. "I'll come at it from the front while you take its back. You ready, Kit?"

"Heck yeah!"

"Then let's go!"

The nine-tailed fox launched himself toward the lizard monster, who swung its tail to knock him away. Kurama dodged it by leaping up into the air, intending to come down on the creature from above. Meanwhile, Kitsune Ninja came at the lizard from behind and slashed its large back with the kunai. Unfortunately for the hero, the knives literally barely left a scratch on the monster's scaly hide.

_"Guess I should start using a sword after all," _Naruto mused as he landed on his feet and just barely managed to dodge the bone-crushing tail by bending backwards.

The monster had grabbed Kyuubi as the fox descended and shoved him aside just as it swung its tail at the slight sting it felt on its back. Whipping around, the lizard saw Naruto, and before the boy could react, it slammed a clawed hand down on the Ninja, pinning him helplessly on his back.

"Kit!" Kurama yelled as he jumped on the monster's back and sunk his teeth into its neck. Roaring in pain, the reptilian creature tried to get the fox off with its free hand while continuing to hold Naruto down. Kyuubi managed to maintain his hold, tearing at the lizard's back with his own claws, and the trapped hero managed to free his right hand enough to use the kunai still in his grip to stab the tender skin between the monster's fingers. The response was instantaneous. Ripping its injured hand away from the source of pain, Kitsune Ninja was now free, but the slight victory was short-lived. Before he had time to react, the lizard swiped Naruto with its good hand, sending the boy flying into the far wall with enough force to crack the stone it was made out of. The boy was unconscious as he fell to the floor with a small thud.

Despite his concern for the boy, Kyuubi refrained from calling out to him this time, but even still he was distracted enough that his grip relaxed ever so slightly. Sensing this, the lizard grabbed the fox's arms and flipped him over its head, bringing him down to the floor hard and then slamming a foot into the fox's chest, completely winding him.

From around the corner, a tiny gasp could just barely be heard coming from a certain blue-haired, lavender-eyed beauty. And rather than finish off the two opponents it just defeated, the lizard decided to check out this intriguing new prey.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

When the Ninja left her on that bench, Hinata at first stayed put like he told her to. But as she sat there, she thought more and more about the hero known as the Kitsune Ninja. _"There's something familiar about him, but I just can't place what it is! And what did he mean by 'You'll see me again in one form or another'? Do I already know him...?"_

Then a mental debate started over whether or not she should sneak back and secretly watch the fight. The side of Hinata's mind that was for the idea reasoned that she might be able to learn who the hero is if she watched him without him knowing. The side against the idea—the logical, self-preservation side—reasoned that it wasn't safe and that she should stay put like the hero told her to.

The curious side eventually won out, though, especially when the sounds of the fight were reaching her ears, and she stood up from the bench and limped back toward the scene of the battle. She made it just in time to see the Ninja get pinned underneath the lizard's hand. She continued to watch as the hero managed to free himself only to get smacked into a wall. Then she saw Kyuubi get the wind knocked out of him, and Kitsune Ninja still wasn't moving. She gasped in concern and fear—an unfortunate mistake.

The lizard heard her and began stalking toward her.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Naruto's mind was a sea of blackness, but even through the unconscious haze he could feel the pain that racked his entire body. _"I think I broke a rib...or all of them. ...Maybe my skull too. Ugh..."_ He continued on through the blackness, wishing it would take him completely so he wouldn't feel the pain anymore. _"Kurama can take care of that guy. I'll just go quietly into my coma now..."_ He had an ironic mental laugh as he imagined the faces of his grandparents and friends when they found his body and took off his mask. _"Hope it's only a coma... If I die before I ever get to take Nata out...that'll just suck."_

The hero was suddenly interrupted from his musings as that cold chill he had felt before the lizard monster attacked descended on him again. His red eyes snapped open in response, and all his pain was forgotten as he saw the lizard moving slowly toward Hinata, who seemed frozen in fear where she stood.

_"What is she doing here?! I told her to stay away!"_ Naruto screamed in his head as he struggled to stand. Shakily, he got to his feet just in time to see the monster raise its claws to shred the bluenette to ribbons. _"No...!" _He started to run. "HINATA!"

The Hyuuga heiress snapped out of her daze just in time to bend backwards out of the way of the swiping claws. She followed through the movement by landing on her hands and kicking the monster in the jaw with her good foot as she back-flipped. Weak as her normal-human attack was, the lizard was momentarily stunned, which gave Hinata time to run toward her hero for safety.

Kitsune Ninja caught her in his arms and ran with her over to Kyuubi's prone body. "Stay here with him," the hero instructed the bluenette as he set her down next to the fox, who was just now coming out of his daze. "He'll protect you."

Before she could respond, the Ninja ran away from her and Kyuubi while throwing some shuriken at the giant angry reptile to gain its attention. He succeeded and was rewarded by the monster rushing him at a surprising speed. Naruto managed to dodge out of the way despite the extreme protesting of his battered body, and he took a second to assess the situation.

_"Okay, so the kunai before were probably kinda stupid. My claws can cut through metal, so they're obviously stronger. ...Man, I'm such an IDIOT!"_ he mentally berated himself while dodging another tail-swipe. _"Alright! If it's claw to claw combat Minizilla wants, then that's what it's gonna get!"_

The hero charged forth, twisting and bending to avoid reptilian claws, tail, and teeth. He lashed out with his own claws, tearing through the scales easily and creating several wounds on the lizard's face and limbs. The hero continued this deadly dance with the monster until he managed to finally cone up underneath the monster's guard to its less-armored belly. He thrust his claws dead-center into its stomach and slashed his hands outward in opposite directions, creating a large opening in the creature's gut. Blood and some entrails spilled from the wound—Naruto got out of there just in time to avoid being covered in the gore.

Kyuubi, who had gotten back on his feet already, was standing by, ready to back up the Ninja if he should need it and protecting the girl next to him in the meantime, and said girl buried her face in the fox's fur to shut out the disgusting sight of a disemboweled lizard-monster.

Minizilla—as Naruto had called it—clutched its wound and fell to its reptilian knees before the boy. Its breathing was ragged, and it looked at the Ninja with eyes that seemed to plead for him to kill it and stop the pain.

"End it, Kit," Kyuubi told him. "It's in pain, and it knows it's done for. Finish it."

With a solemn nod, the young hero stepped toward the monster, who turned its head to the side, exposing its neck. Naruto looked it straight in the eye as he raised his claws and said, "I'm sorry," before slashing downward and tearing through the beast's jugular. He jumped back to avoid the gore again—besides what was already on his hands and arms—but he was still close enough to watch the light leave the creature's eyes as it bled out.

Minizilla was dead.

Naruto finally succumbed to his injuries and collapsed to the floor on his knees. Without a second thought—or a glance at the dead monster—Hinata rushed to her hero's side and knelt next to him. She touched his arm gingerly, and when he turned to face her, she asked, "A-Are you alright?"

"No, but he will be," Kyuubi answered for the Ninja. Hinata turned to the giant fox, who told her, "Go back to where he took you before, and we'll inform your friends to find you there." She nodded, but hesitated as she looked at the injured Kitsune Ninja. "Don't worry about him. I will make sure he's okay," Kyuubi said to alleviate her concern with a small smile on his foxy face.

Hinata nodded again, but before she stood up to leave, she gently wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck, giving him a brief hug as she whispered, "Th-Thank you for s-saving me." Then she was gone, heading back to the bench to wait for her friends to find her.

Without a word, Kyuubi picked up his partner with one of his tails, set him on his back, and then headed for where he stashed Naruto's bag.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Dressed in his normal clothes again and clean of any gore from the fight, Naruto slowly, painfully made his way to where he left Hinata with Kurama back to normal size and fur color in the bag slung over his shoulder. The boy had consulted with his fox partner about the seriousness of his injuries, and Kurama had concluded that they didn't need to seek medical aid necessarily. He thought it'd be wise for Naruto to have his grandmother check him over once they got back to his house—and explain that he had been injured when the lizard-monster attacked, which wasn't entirely a lie—just to be safe, but he didn't think a hospital visit was necessary. Kurama explained to Naruto that one of the boy's superpowers should be advanced healing as well as durability, so the wall shouldn't have done as much damage as it would've to a normal person and he should be healing a lot faster than normal too.

When the young hero finally made it to where he had left Hinata, she leapt up from the bench and ran as fast as her injured ankle would allow. "Naruto!" she cried as she nearly crashed into him and hugged him tightly. Naruto hissed in pain, and Hinata released him immediately. "W-What's wrong?! A-Are you h-hurt?" she asked fearfully. "I'm so s-sorry!"

"I-It's okay, Nata," Naruto told her in a strained voice as he consciously un-tensed his muscles. Giving her a small smile, he said, "I just got a little banged up is all. But never mind that. Are you okay? You're not hurt at all, are you?"

Hinata shook her head, much to Naruto's relief. He didn't think she'd been injured, but he wasn't sure and had hoped she was completely fine. "I j-just think my ankle w-was aggravated. B-But that's it."

"Good," he breathed in relief as he pulled her to him in a hug, which she returned gingerly, not wanting to hurt him again.

_"His arms...Kitsune Ninja's arms felt just like Naruto's do. And he's injured as well... Could he be...? No, there's no way. Right?"_ Hinata wondered until Naruto released her.

"We should get out of here. The cops'll be here soon. Where's Kiba and Shino?" Naruto said as he took Hinata's hand and started leading her out of the building.

"They t-texted me and said they're waiting f-for us outside. They s-said the p-police wouldn't let them b-back in, and apparently the police are m-making up excuses not to come in and take care of the s-situation themselves," Hinata informed him.

In the bag, Kurama scoffed. **–Cowards.–**

"Tell me about it," Naruto muttered. "Stupid, dirty, no-good, donut-sucking, bacon-smelling, bastards."

** –At least they didn't get in our way,– **Kurama pointed out.

"Mm," was Naruto's only reply.

Hinata raised an eyebrow at her blonde friend's muttering, but didn't question it. Instead, she asked, "H-How were you injured anyway, N-Naruto? I d-didn't see you a-around where that m-monster was."

She felt Naruto stiffen through the hand she was holding and saw his blue eyes widen momentarily. Kurama's eyes were doing the same in the bag.

**–Oh sh— –**

"Oh, hehe, I got shoved around and trampled on a bit when everyone was running away," Naruto replied with a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his head and wincing slightly when his fingers touched the small wound there.

From her years of studying how to read people, Hinata could tell he was lying. She may not have been as skilled as her father or her cousin Neji, but she could tell with Naruto. "So w-why were you st-still in the building then? Why didn't y-you l-leave with everyone else?"

"W-Well, I was kinda injured, ya know? And besides, I still hadn't found Kurama. Couldn't just leave the little guy, and I also didn't know if you, Kiba, or Shino made it out alright," he nervously answered.

_"It has to be him. I know he's lying, and what other reason could there be for him to lie?"_ Hinata thought before she asked one more question. "So how d-did you know where I was to c-come get me?"

Naruto swallowed. He had a feeling she knew he was lying, and while he hated doing it, he couldn't tell her the truth just yet. "I-I was told by some guy wearing ninja gear that you were waiting for me and where. I had just found Kurama when the guy came up to me."

"I s-see," the bluenette simply replied. _"I'm sure it's him. But I can't say anything—he'd just deny it and calling him out could destroy our friendship. No, I'll let him tell me when he's ready."_ Hinata intertwined her fingers with Naruto's and stepped closer to lean her head against his shoulder. "I'm g-glad you're safe."

He squeezed her hand. "Thanks, Nata. I'm glad you're safe too."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Once the two of them left the building, they were immediately swarmed by police and reporters, and injured or not, Naruto did his best to shield Hinata from the onslaught. He informed them that there was some kind of monster that was killed by the Kitsune Ninja. When they looked at him in disbelief, he simply said, "Go look for yourself," before pushing his way through the crowd while keeping Hinata close.

The two ran into Kiba and Shino next. The dog-lover and bug boy saw their tall, blonde friend as he made his way through the crowd and immediately ran to him, hoping he had Hinata with him.

"How'd you guys end up separated?" Naruto asked his three friends after they finished expressing their relief at seeing each other safe. He managed to keep his tone from sounding accusatory, but he couldn't help but wonder just how Hinata's two friends ended up leaving her behind.

"Well, when that thing attacked, we all sort of just panicked," Kiba answered. He felt bad for leaving Hinata behind, but in his panic, he hadn't really been aware of his actions. "I barely remember what happened."

"We ran immediately of course, but I recall trying to help Hinata along with us, Kiba," Shino said matter-of-factly.

"Y-Yes, I remember the two of you p-pulling me up from my seat, b-but then the crowd of people sh-shoving past us got us separated. I f-fell d-down because of my ankle, and by the time I got up, m-most of the crowd was already past. I-I-I tripped again, a-and that's when the...m-monster almost got me," Hinata explained to her friends.

She then proceeded to tell them about the rest of the fight as they made their way to Kiba's car, including how the Kitsune Ninja saved her not once, but twice, and Naruto couldn't help but feel pride and jealousy all at the same time. He heard the admiration in her voice when she talked about his alter ego as well as the concern for his welfare since she knew he'd been injured in the fight.

_"Great. I'm jealous of my other self. How's that for a recipe for schizophrenia?"_ Naruto thought sarcastically as he carefully sat down in Kiba's car. His injured back was screaming at him from just the contact with the seat.

The ride back was silent—no one knew what to really say about such an event and needed time to let everything sink in. Meanwhile, Naruto was doing his best not to cry out with every bump the car went over on the road, and Kurama was too tired and sore to even care about coming out of the bag. Hinata noticed Naruto's winces of pain, though, and quietly asked him to come with her when they reached her house. She then told Kiba to go ahead and go home, and she would have Naruto driven back home later. Dog boy agreed—he just wanted to go to his own home.

As soon as they were up in her room, Hinata had Naruto wait while she went into her bathroom to search for something. While he was waiting, the boy decided to be nice to his new, furry companion and took Kurama carefully out of the bag and set him on his side on the ottoman.

**–Thanks, Kit,–** the fox said as he nuzzled Naruto's hand slightly in gratitude.

**–Anytime,– **Naruto quietly yipped back with an amused smirk.

Hinata then came out of the bathroom with a small ceramic jar in hand and a large blush on her face. Naruto cocked an eyebrow at her nervous expression, but it all made sense when she said, "T-T-Take off y-your sh-shirt, N-Naruto."

A blush to match her own crossed the boy's face. "H-Huh?!"

"Th-This o-ointment w-w-will h-help your wounds h-heal f-faster," she explained as she held up the jar in her hand.

"O-Oh! Okay..." Naruto replied as understanding dawned on him.

He removed his coat and shirt, and Hinata—while doing her best not to ogle his rather defined muscles on his athletic body—instructed him to lie on his stomach on her couch. He complied wordlessly, although his face was still red, and Hinata sucked in air sharply through her teeth when she saw the extensive amount of bruising all over her hero's back. The entire region was mostly black and purple now—hardly any trace of his normal tanned skin was left untouched. She also noticed a small amount of blood in his hair, indicating the presence of a small head wound.

"That bad, huh?" asked Naruto upon hearing her make a small hissing noise and seeing her shocked expression.

Unable to find her voice, Hinata merely nodded as she knelt on the floor next to him and opened the jar of special ointment. She dipped her fingers into the jar and brought out a large amount, which she proceeded to gently rub onto Naruto's back. Her concern for his well-being was the only thing overriding her hormones that were reacting to the rather attractive, half-naked male on her couch.

At the same time, Naruto was blissfully unaware of everything as the ointment took effect—even the fact that a beautiful girl was running a smooth hand all over his back wasn't getting through his brain at the moment. Everywhere Hinata applied it, the pain was suddenly gone, relieving the tension in his bruised and aching muscles and giving him a warm, comforting feeling. He was starting to drift off to a much-needed sleep when Hinata's voice brought him back to consciousness.

"N-Naruto, I'm going t-to remove your headband, okay?"

"Mm...sure. But why?" he asked tiredly.

As she started untying the knot, she replied, "Y-You have a s-small wound on the b-back of your head, so I n-need the headband out of the w-way to ap-ply the ointment."

"Mm," he lightly grunted in understanding. After Hinata had removed his headband and began putting the medicine on the back of his head, Naruto thought to ask, "Hey, Nata? Why didn't you use this stuff on your ankle?"

She smiled softly. "I d-did, Naruto. I just t-told you the p-pain p-pills did most of the healing."

"But why?" He opened one blue eye and looked at her curiously.

Pink dusted the bluenette's cheeks as she averted her gaze from his shyly and with a trace of sadness as she poked her index fingers together. "W-Well, th-this ointment isn't s-something I usually t-talk about. My m-mother taught me how t-to make it shortly bef-before she d-died."

Naruto nodded in sympathy and reached out to take one of her hands. "I understand, Nata. Sorry I made you talk about it."

"N-No, it's alright. I-I'm just glad it's helping you. It is h-helping you, r-right?" she asked as she wiped off the excess ointment on her fingers and replaced the lid on the jar.

"Oh yeah... This stuff feels great...Nata..." Naruto trailed off as his eyes closed, and he drifted off to sleep with a small smile on his face.

Hinata giggled and then looked at the sleeping boy with a soft smile. _"He looks so cute when he sleeps,"_ she thought as she hesitantly reached over to touch his whiskered cheek. The bluenette was oblivious to everything as she stroked his cheek lightly. _"He saved me not only from bullies in the park, but a giant monster in the mall as well. It seems so surreal. I feel like I should be waking up any moment now and find that this was all a dream... I really hope not, though. Even without playing the hero, Naruto's been so nice to me...and I can't help but feel close to him—like we're just meant to be together."_ Hinata blushed at her own thoughts and sweat-dropped. _"Moh...I sound like such a weirdo! We just met a few days ago! But...I've never felt this way about anyone before... I can't wait to get to know him better."_

Hinata was suddenly broken from her wistful musings by the sound of a cell phone ringing. Quickly determining it was Naruto's phone inside his discarded coat's pocket, she took it out and saw 'Baa-chan' on the screen, which she assumed meant it was Tsunade calling. Swiping the screen, she held it up to her ear and said, "Hello?"

Tsunade's frantic voice came shouting through the phone. "Hinata?! Is that you?! Oh, thank goodness! Please tell me Naruto is with you! Is he okay?! Are you okay?! Answer me!"

Hinata blinked, stunned by the assault of questions. "W-We're both f-fine, Tsunade. W-We're over at m-my house now."

There was an audible sigh of relief, and then Tsunade said, "I'm so glad to hear that. When Jiraiya and I heard what happened at that mall Naruto said you and he were going to, we feared the worst. But where is Naruto? Why didn't he answer his own phone?"

"W-Well," Hinata began hesitantly, fearing she'd send the older woman into a panic again, "h-he's asleep right now. H-He was a little injured f-from what h-happened, s-so I took him here to treat his injuries. A-And then he f-fell asleep."

There was a pause. "How bad was he injured?"

"I-It looks pretty bad, b-but it seems to look w-worse than it really is," Hinata told her. "Y-You might want to check h-him yourself, though, Tsunade."

"Okay. Jiraiya and I will be there shortly to get him. Thank you, Hinata," Tsunade replied and then hung up.

Hinata hung up Naruto's phone as well and put it back in his coat pocket. It was then that she glanced at Kurama, who was now sleeping peacefully curled up on the ottoman. She didn't know how, but she had a feeling the little fox was wounded as well from the way he was sound asleep just like his new owner. And this only served to further prove her theory that Naruto was in fact the Kitsune Ninja.

_"His injuries are consistent with what Kitsune Ninja's should be after being slammed into the wall, I could tell he was lying about where he was during the attack and how he knew where I would be, he finds a fox the same day the Kitsune Ninja has one fighting alongside him—which he didn't have with him during all the other burglaries and other crimes he stopped. And there was something familiar about his eyes... And wait! Now that I think about it, didn't the Kitsune Ninja shout my name at one point? I was a bit dazed at the time, but I'm almost positive he did. How else could he know my name?" _Hinata nodded to herself with conviction. _"I know it's him. I'll wait for him to tell me himself, but I know it's him. And I'm going to find a way to help him in his fights."_

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Jiraiya and Tsunade arrived at the Hyuuga mansion in less than 15 minutes from the second Tsunade hung up from talking to Hinata, and the busty blonde who was Naruto's grandmother practically busted the front door in with her frantic knocking. Then poor, unfortunate George was seized by the shoulders the minute he saved the door from its beating by opening it.

"Where is my grandson?! Is he okay?!" Tsunade shouted as she shook the butler senseless.

Lucky for him, Jiraiya grabbed Tsunade's arms and pulled her away from George, who fell to the floor in a heap with swirls in his eyes. "Tsunade! Calm down, will ya?! The gaki's not dead, and if he was in real bad shape, Hinata would've taken him to the hospital."

Tsunade took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves. "I-I know, Jiraiya. But there was so much destruction at that mall, and so many people came into the hospital injured. I just—"

"Lord Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade, if you will follow me, I will take you to Master Naruto. He is with Lady Hinata in her room," George interrupted, having recovered from the volatile woman's assault.

Jiraiya put an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Yes, please lead the way," the white-haired man requested. George nodded and began walking toward the stairs. As Naruto's grandparents followed him, Jiraiya said, "And please forgive my wife's behavior. She's just very protective of our grandson."

George just looked over his shoulder at them and smiled. "I understand, Lord Jiraiya. Lady Tsunade, I assure you Master Naruto seemed fine when he came in. A bit stiff in his walk, but otherwise fine."

Tsunade just thanked him with a smile and a nod.

Needless to say, the three adults were a bit shocked when they came to Hinata's doorway and looked in.

Hinata was still sitting on the floor by her couch while Naruto—with his shirt still off—was sleeping face down on the couch, and there was a small fox sleeping on the ottoman. But what was most shocking was Naruto's back, which even the two men who didn't have Tsunade's medical expertise could see was a bad injury.

Hinata stood up to greet Naruto's grandparents, but quickly moved out of the way as Tsunade rushed to Naruto's side. "Hinata! I thought you said he was okay!" the blonde woman yelled as she took out from her pocket a small device—a recent invention by Hyuuga Technologies for medicinal purposes. It was capable of scanning a person's body and determining the extent of injuries as well as any other anomalies.

As Tsunade began checking Naruto, Hinata defended herself against the blonde woman's accusation. "Y-Yes, I-I did say h-he was ok-kay. H-He was walking fine, a-and he s-said he didn't n-need a hospital."

Tsunade finished her scan and looked at the results on the device's screen. Sighing in relief, she stood and faced the Hyuuga heiress. "My apologies, Hinata. It seems he really is fine, and the bruising just looks worse than it is. It's only skin deep—no damage to his bones or any of his organs, so he should be all healed in a few weeks. Even his head wound isn't bad. But what is this stuff you used on him?"

"O-Oh, it's j-just a healing ointment m-my m-mother c-created and taught me h-how to make," Hinata explained with a slight pink tinge to her cheeks as she held up the jar containing said ointment. "Y-You may t-take this jar with you if you want. I-I'm sure N-Naruto could use it in the f-future."

"Thank you, Hinata," Tsunade said as she accepted the jar and put it in her jacket pocket along with her medical scanner. "It looks like it's already helping him." She smiled at the bluenette before turning to her husband. "Jiraiya, we should get him home now."

The white-haired man nodded and walked over to his grandson. "Naruto," he said while nudging the blonde boy's arm. "Gaki, wake up." He started poking Naruto's whiskered cheek, causing the boy to groan and make a weak swat at the offending hand. Jiraiya sighed. Then suddenly with a voice full of panic, he shouted, "Naruto! Get up! Your grandma's throwing out all the ramen!"

Naruto's eyes shot open and he gasped and sat up quickly. However, the abrupt action caused his back to seize with pain, and the poor boy fell back down on his stomach with an anguished cry. "Oooww! Ero-jii-san! Why did you do that?!"

Jiraiya couldn't help laughing a little, but he carefully helped his grandson up from the couch. "Sorry, Naruto, but I had to wake you up. It's time to go home, so put your shirt and coat back on." He handed the aforementioned items to the boy.

As Naruto pulled his shirt back on, Jiraiya was about to make a perverted comment about his grandson being half-naked in a pretty girl's room, but Tsunade—almost as if she could sense her husband's intention—asked a question that completely changed the current subject.

"Hey, gaki? What's with the little fox here?"

Naruto looked over at Kurama, who was still lying on the ottoman with his head on his paws. He was awake now, though, and watching the humans with his red, slitted eyes.

"Oh, that's Kurama, Granny. I found him on the way here today, and he wouldn't leave me alone so I decided to bring him with me. I'll take good care of him, so can I keep him?" Naruto looked at his grandmother with big, pleading, blue eyes.

Tsunade, however, was immune to her grandson's begging look, and she was also reluctant to let him keep a wild animal as a pet. But before she could say no, Jiraiya voiced both their concerns.

"Naruto, he's a wild animal. How do you know he's safe to keep? Or that he won't destroy the house?" the white-haired man asked.

The blonde hero faced his grandfather and answered seriously, "Jiji, I will take full responsibility for him. I'll get him checked out, and he's been riding around in my bag all day without once trying to bite me or any of my friends. Please. Let me keep him."

Jiraiya was about to argue again, but as he looked into his grandson's eyes, he relented with a sigh. "You promise to take care of him and pay for any damages he might cause?"

"Yes! Absolutely! And I never go back on my word!" Naruto exclaimed, feeling hopeful.

"Alright then. I have no problem with it. What about you, Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked his wife, who sighed as well.

"I guess it's fine," she said. Then she leaned over and looked Kurama straight in the eyes. "But if he so much as urinates on the carpet, I'm going to have a new fur stole."

The blonde woman's honey-brown eyes widened slightly as it seemed like the fox was _smirking_ at her. **–Hehe. As if you could catch me,–** he yipped.

Naruto chuckled. "Don't worry, Baa-chan. He'll be good." He gave the fox a meaningful look, and Kurama just nodded once in understanding.

"Okay, gaki. Get your coat and your stuff. We need to get you home," Jiraiya told him, and then he and Tsunade walked back to the front door with George to wait for him.

Naruto pulled his coat on while Kurama crawled back into the bag. Before Naruto picked it up, however, he turned to his blue-haired friend, who had been standing off to the side watching him and his grandparents' antics in silence. He walked over to her and said, "Well, I guess I gotta go home. Kinda sucks, though—your couch is really comfy." He chuckled.

Hinata giggled as well and replied, "Y-You'd probably be able to s-sleep better in your own bed, though, and you need your r-rest to recover."

"Yeah," he agreed in a quiet voice. For a moment, he just stood there, looking into her eyes as he remembered how that lizard-monster nearly killed her twice, and how he just barely managed to save her both times. A sharp pain struck his heart when he thought of how things could've turned out, and without a second thought, he pulled Hinata into a hug, holding her tight to his chest as he put his cheek on top of her head.

Hinata returned the embrace by gently holding onto his waist, being mindful not to touch his injured back, but she couldn't help ask, "N-Naruto? Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I was just thinking how today could've been a lot worse. How I almost lost my first friend here, and so far the best friend I've ever had," he explained and unconsciously held her a little tighter.

The bluenette's heart soared at hearing his words, and she snuggled into his chest more. "But it didn't t-turn out that way. We're okay, s-so we should just be happy about that," she said in an attempt to comfort him.

"Mm, you're right," he replied while stroking her hair. A few seconds of silence passed as they just held each other before Naruto pulled back with a sigh. "I gotta go now, or else Baa-chan will lose her temper."

"I understand," Hinata said with a sweet smile even though she was disappointed he had to let go. "B-But you'll be here tomorrow, right? Your f-family is supposed to have dinner with m-mine."

"Yeah, I remember. Of course we'll be here!" he grinned at her. _"Just hope Neji doesn't push me into kicking his ass,"_ he added mentally. He turned and picked up his bag and then held out his free hand to Hinata. "Walk me to the door?"

"I'd b-be glad to," she answered smiling while taking his hand and squeezing it lightly.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

When Naruto got home, he barely managed to stay awake through dinner, which Kurama ate about half of, and as soon as he was done, he went up to his room and collapsed on his bed. His new fox-friend jumped up and curled into a ball next to him.

Before he let sleep claim him, however, Naruto had to ask, "Hey, Kurama? Why am I so tired? I mean, it was a hard fight, sure, but this seems a bit extreme."

"It's because your body's trying to heal," Kurama explained with a yawn. "Being slammed into the wall like you were would've put any normal human would be in the hospital if not instantly killed them. And while the gift I gave you increases your durability as well as your healing capability, it does come with a cost, which is a drain on your energy. Just go to sleep. I guarantee the both of us will be absolutely fine in the morning."

Naruto nodded as sleep started to overtake him. "Sounds good... And, Kurama? Thanks...for your help...today... Zzzz..." he trailed off with a light snore.

Kurama chuckled softly. "You're welcome, Kit."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Meanwhile, Jiraiya and Tsunade were sitting in the living room trying to figure out what had actually happened to Naruto. He had told them the same thing he told Hinata about his injuries—that he received his bruising by being trampled by the crowd as they tried to escape the monster. But Tsunade's medical expertise instantly sent up a red flag at that, even more so than it had for Hinata.

"If he was trampled, there's no way his back would be as bruised as it is unless someone stopped to tap dance on him," she had explained to her husband. "Also, his arms and legs should be injured as well. Something's not right here, Jiraiya."

"I agree, Tsunade, but what can we do? Accuse him of lying?" Jiraiya asked rhetorically.

But his wife answered anyway. "No, I guess not. I'm just worried about him, though."

Jiraiya sighed as he leaned back into the couch with his arms folded. "Me too. But it's not like he's the only person in this family who's keeping secrets and telling half-truths." He chuckled dryly. "Maybe it runs in the family after all."

"I sincerely hope not," Tsunade replied while rubbing her temples. "I worry enough about you, Minato, and Kushina."

Jiraiya just nodded and was silent for a moment. "Well, there's always the chance that we're wrong, and he's telling the truth. Some strange chance that his injuries occurred the way he said, and we're just blowing things out of proportion. Either way," he continued on, ignoring her skeptical look, "there's nothing we can do about it, so no point in worrying about it." Standing up from the couch, Jiraiya held out a hand to his wife. "Come on, Tsu-hime. Let's go to bed. It's getting late."

With a nod, Tsunade took her husband's hand, and they retired to their bedroom for the evening.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Back at the Hyuuga mansion, a certain blue-haired heiress was making her way stealthily through the large house. Ever since Naruto left, she'd been pondering how she could help her blonde hero in his fight against crime and...whatever that incident with the lizard-monster was. In the end, she determined that he would need a shield of some sort to protect him, and if she could manage it, she would try to create some kind of offensive weapon for him to use as well.

But first things first: she wanted to protect him as he protected her and everyone else.

Which is what led the bluenette to her father's office in the middle of the night, hacking into his computer to find any mention of a project, schematic, or device for shielding technology. She didn't have to look very long for under 'Military R&D' she found just what she was looking for.

_Project: Kinetic Barriers_

_ Sensors built-in to armor detect incoming threats and stop them by creating a barrier made of energy from high-powered batteries, which are also built-in to the armor._

_Current issues with development: Battery packs are currently too heavy and bulky for soldiers to effectively use this technology in combat._

Hinata frowned at that—she'd been hoping that whatever she found would be fully developed and ready for her to recreate and use. _"Should've known better. Nothing's ever THAT easy for me," _she thought with a small sigh. Even still, she was determined not to take her usual route and just give up, so she copied the information as well as the schematics onto her flash drive before making sure everything was how she found it in her father's office and heading to her workshop. _"He's saved me twice now and has been a good friend to me so far. I have to make this work!"_

She never noticed the pair of white eyes watching her sneak in and out of the office in the dark.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

A young man with long silver hair tied up in a ponytail and bangs framing either side of his face walked down a hall in OrochiCorp Laboratories. He had dark eyes and wore large round glasses and a white lab coat with black pants. Reaching the door at the end of the hall, the man pressed a button on the intercom to the right of the door.

"Yes?" came an eerie, yet smooth voice from the speaker.

"Lord Orochimaru," the young man answered, "I'm here to make my report."

"Ah, Kabuto. Come in please."

The door slid open, and the young man—apparently known as Kabuto—walked in. The room was dimly lit and the walls and floor were gray metal that gave off a cold, sterile feeling. There were a few bookshelves filled to the brim with tomes and a small number of scrolls, and in front of the shelves was a single desk, which was large and made of dark expensive wood. Behind the desk sat a man with long black hair, which he wore loose, and his skin was unnaturally pale. Equally inhuman were his eyes, which were gold and slitted like a snake's, and there were purple markings around his eyes as well. Although whether the purple was natural or the man was wearing eye-shadow was anyone's guess. He wore an expensive business suit—white button-down shirt with black jacket and pants and a dark purple tie—and he leaned back in his chair, supporting his head on one hand as he looked at the silver-haired man with his cold, calculating eyes.

"Well?" the pale man known as Orochimaru—the owner, CEO, and top scientist of OrochiCorp Laboratories—asked after a moment's silence.

Kabuto coughed nervously into his hand before answering, "My apologies, Lord Orochimaru. I wasn't sure you were ready for me to begin." His boss just motioned for him to continue, and Kabuto adjusted his glasses as he gave his report. "Well, Experiment L0351 performed to expectations...until it was killed."

Orochimaru quirked a black eyebrow at that. "Killed? By what? Surely the police couldn't take it down so easily."

"Indeed not, Lord Orochimaru. Experiment L0351 was killed by that strange young man who dresses as a ninja and calls himself 'Kitsune Ninja'," Kabuto told him.

"So you're telling me," Orochimaru began as he leaned forward to rest his arms on his desk, "that one of my experiments was taken down by one man?"

"No, not at all, my lord," the silver-haired man said hastily. "At least, not by one _normal_ man. Reports of this 'Kitsune Ninja' indicate he has superhuman strength and speed, but not only that, we have reason to believe that he had help with taking down Experiment L0351. Apparently, a rather large, nine-tailed, black fox assisted him in the fight."

"Ah..." the pale man whispered as recognition dawned on him. "So that's what became of Experiment F0009."

"So it would seem, my lord. What do you want to do about it?" Kabuto asked.

Orochimaru thought for a moment, and slowly, a sinister grin crossed his face. "Run more experiments. Let's see just how much this _hero_," he spat the word, "and his new pet can stand."

Kabuto's lips curved into a smirk, and he bowed to his master. "Right away, Lord Orochimaru. I will prepare the next one immediately."

"What's the time estimate on preparations?"

"Shouldn't take more than a few days."

"Good. We'll start out the next week with a bang. Kukuku," Orochimaru laughed. "Go get things started, Kabuto."

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!" the silver-haired man bowed again before leaving the office.

The snake-like man just folded his hands in front of his face as his grin faded into a frown. "Che. Superhero indeed," he scoffed. "You always were a clever little fox, Experiment F0009. We'll see just how long that lasts."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Chapter's over!

Next chapter will include Naruto's family having dinner with the Hyuuga and/or our hero's first day at school. It depends on what I manage to come up with.

Also, updates may be a little bit slower than before as I intend to get back to writing my other stories. So sorry about that, but at least know that I will never abandon any story. And at least I don't take up to a year (or much more than a month or two, really) to update. :) Just be patient please!

**Just a note:** As someone who has graduated college with a Psychology degree, I feel the need to point out something. When Naruto speaks of schizophrenia, he is using it in an incorrect context. Most people tend to think that schizophrenia is the same as the condition known as Dissociative Identity Disorder (a.k.a. Multiple Personality Disorder), and the two conditions are not the same. Schizophrenia does not involve multiple personalities—most people just think it does. I won't go into detail here about how they're different as I doubt anyone wants some school time while reading a fanfic, but I felt the need to point out that I intentionally made Naruto say something incorrect for two reasons: 1) because I've studied psychology and so I know he's wrong there, and 2) because I didn't want any reviews from anyone who happened to know I made him say the wrong thing, telling me that what he said was wrong. And the reason I made him say it was just for realism I guess—he's an average, never-really-studied-psychology person ,and thus would be incorrect like most people. Alrighty then? Good. But I do recommend looking the disorders up. They are quite fascinating.

One more thing, I am aware I ripped off Mass Effect with the kinetic barriers thing. And I don't own Mass Effect either (quick disclaimer). I like the technology in that game, though, so there might be more instances of borrowing. :P

Okay, so please review if I've entertained you! :D


	6. Dinner with the Hyuugas

**nightwalker4eva **& **Nyaruto**: Thanks!

**Chewie Cookies**: Yup, she will! I'm actually getting rather impatient to reach the point I want to with Gadget Girl. I need to write faster for my own sake. Hahaha. And no worries—I was just teasing you about your slow-updating habits. I'd like to see more of your stuff, of course, but I'm not going to annoy you about it. :) And there's plenty of slow updaters here, so you're not alone. There might even come a day when it happens to me... I hope not, though. D:

**StormSurfer**: I love your reviews, friend. ^^ The image of that poor guy I apparently hit in the parking lot just made me laugh. :P Glad you liked the fight scene. Makes me very happy to hear that you think I did the fight well. I was concerned some people would be unhappy about Hinata finding out so soon, but I didn't really want to go the Sailor Moon/Superman route (ya know, where apparently no one can tell who they are because of the tiara or the absence of Clark Kent's glasses when he's Superman). I may like Sailor Moon, but that tiara-hiding-their-identity thing kills me every time I read the manga. Hahaha. Anyway, glad you liked the chapter, and I will continue to do my best with this story. I will "keep it up, my main man" as you said, even though I am in fact a woman. Hahaha. XD

**Fadelucky**: Thank you! And I can't wait either. I want to get to the more NaruHina moments as well as all the superpower/gadget ideas I have. And as for the writing stuff, I don't know that I'd say I have determination for this necessarily—I just have a lot of fun writing. Although I will admit one needs some determination to get through the less exciting moments of a story. But if you want some help with writing, feel free to PM me about your ideas and such, and I'm willing to be a beta for you too. I enjoy helping others with their writing as much as I enjoy writing, so let me know and I will help you. :) And if you don't want to write these ideas yourself, you could tell me your ideas and basic outline, and I'll write the story out. We can co-author something. Let me know if either idea interests you. ^_^

**Zamrok**: Glad you changed your mind and gave my story here a chance anyway. :) Just goes to show that you can never judge a book by its cover. ^_^ Perhaps I should add into the summary, though, that this story is only like Spiderman in the beginning. I'm not sure why that bothers people, though. Would a crossover of Spiderman and Naruto be _that_ bad? *shrugs* Maybe it's just me, but I don't see what's so bad about that. However, the only thing intentionally like Spiderman in this story is the beginning stuff at the lab and the small reference to Spiderman in that one game Naruto was playing. Any other similarities (if any exist—I don't know) are unintentional. Anyway, hope you continue to enjoy this story! ^^

Thank you everyone who reviewed, followed, and/or faved this story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any references to anything else with a copyright that may be mentioned within this story.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The irritating noise just barely broke through the darkness of unconsciousness. Hinata mumbled something and turned her head in the opposite direction of the sound.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The noise came again, but this time with a voice. "Nee-san! Open the door!"

Hearing her little sister's voice finally brought Hinata fully awake, and with a grumble, she got up from her worktable and made her way to the door, which was still being pounded on by the small girl on the other side. Opening the door, Hinata stared down at Hanabi wordlessly, and the small girl had her fist paused in midair from knocking.

Hanabi lowered her hand as she looked at her sister. She saw Hinata was in her pajamas still and there were dark circles under her eyes as if she had been up late. Red marks were on her face as well, indicating she'd fallen asleep resting on her arms.

"Nee-san, did you sleep in your workshop last night?" Hanabi questioned with a raised eyebrow and slight tilt of her head.

Yawning, Hinata nodded and told her, "Yes, I did. I have a new project."

"Really? Can I see it?" her little sister asked excitedly.

"No," Hinata replied with a shake of her head. "This one's a secret, I'm afraid." Seeing the small girl slump her shoulders in disappointment, the bluenette leaned down to hug her. "Don't worry, Hanabi-imouto. It's not that exciting anyway."

"Hmph," the girl snorted with a pout as she crossed her arms.

Hinata giggled at her expression. "So what did you want, imouto?"

"Oh! I just wanted to see what you're doing since it's past 11, and you're usually up by now," Hanabi replied, her pouting forgotten.

"I see. Well, thank you, Hanabi," Hinata smiled at her. "I should go get ready now." She was about to step out of her workshop when she remembered something. Walking back to the corner of the table that was nearest to the door, she picked up a small device that she had left there the night before and then turned around and came out of the workshop, locking the door behind her.

Hanabi cocked an eyebrow at this. "Nee-san? What's that?" she asked, pointing to the object in her older sister's hand. "And why'd you lock the door? You hardly ever lock the door."

Hinata just smiled at her sister and ruffled her hair affectionately, causing the small girl to pout again and swat at Hinata's hands. "This is a gift for a friend, and I locked the door to keep my project a secret."

She began walking to her room, and Hanabi followed her. "This friend wouldn't be Naruto, would it?" the small girl asked with a sly smile.

"W-What if it is?" Hinata retorted as a small blush appeared on her face.

Hanabi giggled at her sister's embarrassment. "You're so easy to read, nee-san. Why don't you and Naruto just start dating already?"

"W-W-We want to b-be f-friends for awhile f-first," Hinata attempted to explain.

"Oh, please," Hanabi said with a roll of her eyes. "You guys obviously like each other. Why waste the time?"

"B-Because we want to t-take things s-slow s-so we d-don't m-mess things up b-between us," the bluenette replied as the two finally came to Hinata's bedroom door. "A-Anyway," she began to change the subject to escape, "I-I'm going to g-go get dressed now. S-See you l-later, imouto!" And she was gone in a flash into her room.

Hanabi just blinked in surprise before bursting out laughing. "Okay, nee-san! I'll see you and _Naruto_ at dinner tonight!" she called through the door. Hearing an "EEP!" on the other side, she walked away laughing again while thinking, _"Whatever she's working on, it must have to do with why she was in Father's office last night. But I need to find out for sure."_

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

"Na~ru~to~" an angelic voice singsonged his name.

Turning around, he came face-to-face with what he could only describe as beauty personified. Her long, blue hair flowed out behind her with the breeze, her low-cut, white dress hugged her curves just right, and her eyes—oh, those eyes. Like two of the most gorgeous pearls that seemed to come straight from the moon.

She looked at him with half-lidded eyes and a sweet smile as she sauntered toward him, swaying her hips seductively. "Na~ru~to~" she singsonged again. He loved hearing her say his name. Standing in front of him, she put her delicate hands on his firm, muscular chest, and stared deep into his blue eyes. An unseen force seemed to pull the two closer and closer, and he found himself unable to fight it—not that he wanted to, though.

Their lips were just less than an inch from touching, and his heart was pounding with excitement to kiss this beauty before him when suddenly she uttered one simple phrase.

"Don't. You. Dare."

Shocked by the dangerous tone of voice, he pulled back a bit and looked at her face, which still maintained its sweet smile and light blush. Deciding it was all in his head, he started to move toward her again, and she responded by biting him hard on the nose.

"Gah!" he shouted as he catapulted himself backwards, falling off his bed, and banging his head on his nightstand. "Oww..."

Rubbing his aching head and injured nose, Naruto looked around and realized he was in his room, and the beautiful girl was nowhere in sight. "It was just a dream?" he asked aloud.

"I should hope so unless you were really trying to kiss me," said a stern voice from on top of the bed.

Naruto peeked over the edge from where he was still sitting on the floor and sweat-dropped when he saw Kurama sitting next to his pillow looking rather unhappy. "Oh hey, Kurama. You ruined a great dream, ya know."

"Ha!" the fox half-scoffed, half-laughed. "If you want to dream about your mate, that's your business. But next time you try to kiss me, I'll tear your nose off."

"Okay, okay. Sheesh. You're even grouchier in the morning, ya know?" Naruto replied as he got up from the floor. "Why were you so close to my head anyway? Sounds to me like you were asking for it."

Kurama flicked his tail in irritation. "I wanted a pillow, which are all—unfortunately—right next to your head. Sue me."

Naruto sighed. "Whatever." He stretched and realized immediately that there was no pain in his back. Removing his coat and shirt—which he had fallen asleep in—he looked at his back in the mirror. "Hey! The bruising's all gone!" he exclaimed happily.

"I told you it would be," Kurama said, coming over to the end of the bed.

"Yeah, I know. But it's still pretty cool to actually see it," the whisker-faced boy replied.

Letting out a chuckle, Kurama told him, "You might want to pretend to be injured still, though. Such an abnormal rate of healing would definitely raise some questions."

"Yeah, no kidding," Naruto said dryly. "Shouldn't be too hard to pull that off, though, and worst case scenario, I can always say that Hinata's medical cream helped me a lot."

"Speaking of which, she gave you a jar for future use. She gave it to your grandmother, who put it on your dresser there last night," the fox replied while pointing to the object in question with his tail.

"Awesome. I'll have to thank her for it later." Naruto smiled as he picked up the little jar and held it a moment.

"You should. But if you plan on thanking her by reenacting your dream, let me know so I can be out of the room," Kurama said with a smirk.

Naruto's face turned red. "Shut up, Kurama." He put the jar back down and looked at his clock. Seeing it was almost noon, he decided he should get ready for the day. "I'm gonna go take a shower," he told his fox friend. "Is there anything you need? A trip outside to use the bathroom or anything?"

Kurama sweat-dropped. "Kit, I'm a sentient fox capable of human speech. In light of these facts, I can safely say that I have mastered the toilet as well. But I am hungry."

Naruto laughed a little at how Kurama basically said he was potty-trained, and replied, "Well, alrighty then. I'll take my shower and then we'll both get food. Sound good?"

"Sure. I'll get a few more minutes of sleep in the meantime," the fox answered and curled up in a ball.

Naruto just smiled, grabbed his towel, and headed to the bathroom.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Fully dressed in a lavender T-shirt and loose, black shorts, Hinata finished brushing her indigo hair and looked at the headband lying on her dresser. It was black with an orange swirl on it—Naruto's headband that he forgot in her room yesterday after she took it off to treat his head wound.

_"I could return this later tonight when he comes with his family to dinner... But it's the perfect excuse to go over to his house now!"_ Hinata thought while suppressing the urge to squeal with happiness. _"I'm starting to sound like a fangirl or something..."_ She sweat-dropped and hung her head. _"Get a grip, Hinata! You may have a crush on the guy, but that's no reason to turn into a fangirl,"_ she mentally scolded herself. _"I am going to visit him today, though."_

Smiling, the bluenette put Naruto's headband in her pocket and grabbed her phone to text her blonde crush. _Hey, Naruto. How are you feeling today? Do you mind if I come over in a little bit? You left your headband here and I thought I'd bring it to you._

Meanwhile, Naruto had just finished his shower and was in the middle of putting on a clean set of his usual outfit when his cell phone buzzed. Seeing the message from Hinata, he smiled and sent a reply. _Hi, Nata! I'm a lot better today. That stuff of yours worked really well, and I think I'm all better. No, I don't mind you coming here at all! I actually didn't notice I forgot it until just now. ^_^' Do you want me to come get you?_

Hinata: _No, that's okay. I'll have George drive me over. And if you haven't eaten yet, I'll bring us lunch. Well, breakfast for me. I just got up an hour ago. :P_

Naruto: _Hehe. Yeah, I just got up a few minutes ago, so breakfast sounds good. :)_

Hinata: _Anything in particular you want?_

Naruto: _Nope. Whatever you bring is fine with me._

Hinata: _Okay! See you soon!_

The blonde boy tossed his phone on his bed and woke Kurama, who asked, "I take it your mate is coming over?"

Naruto sighed as he continued dressing and replied, "Yes, Nata's coming over, but she isn't my mate, ya know."

Kurama rolled his eyes. "Oh please. I could choke on the pheromones surrounding you two when you're near each other. And that dream you had was obviously about her too."

Blushing, Naruto told the fox, "I am so glad you can't talk to her." Kurama just laughed at him.

Without another word, the young hero finished putting on his white shirt, rolling up the sleeves like he always did, and already wearing his black pants. He refrained from putting on his coat, though, deciding instead to throw it in the wash along with his ninja clothes. As he threw them and his bag into the washing machine, he couldn't help but think, _"I'm actually glad for once that I have to take care of my own laundry. There'd be no explaining the ninja stuff otherwise."_ He chuckled quietly to himself.

Making his way to the living room, Naruto decided to watch some TV until Hinata showed up. He sat down on the couch, and Kurama hopped up next to him.

"I thought we were going to eat something once you were done with your shower," the fox reminded him.

"Oh yeah. Sorry, Kurama. Hinata's bringing us food, so we just gotta wait until she gets here," Naruto explained.

"Fine," he huffed as he curled up on the couch.

Naruto turned on the television and wasn't too surprised to find it was on the news again. "Seriously, is this all Baa-chan and Ero-jii-san watch?" he sighed.

The news story soon came to yesterday's events at the mall, and the reporter was saying that fortunately there were no casualties from the lizard monster's attack. However, there were several injured, and so far no one, not even the police, knew yet where the lizard monster had come from. In addition, the monster's body, which had been hauled away for study at OrochiCorp Laboratories, had mysteriously disappeared, and oddly enough, no one was holding the Lab responsible.

"Not surprising," Kurama commented. "That creature came from the Lab, so of course they'd make it disappear as well."

"But why aren't they getting in trouble for losing the monster's body?" Naruto asked.

Kurama glanced sidelong at the blonde. "Because the owner of the Lab has enough money to pay anyone off. _Anyone_."

"So...he's the main enemy here?"

"Basically."

"Okay, so if we know that, why don't we just charge in there and take him out?"

Kurama sighed. "Because we'd both be dead within minutes of trying. In fact, I'm certain the only reason you weren't caught or killed when you were sneaking around is because you didn't do anything risky to their operations or try to get near the Lab's owner. The owner, whose name is Orochimaru, is always surrounded by his security guards. And not just that—all the experiments in the Lab are made to be loyal to him and will fight to defend him. Can you imagine fighting several creatures like that lizard monster all at once?"

Naruto shivered at the thought. "Yeah, I think I'll pass. But wait. If all his experiments are loyal to him, what about you? And how are we supposed to beat this guy?"

The fox hesitated and flicked his tail thoughtfully. "There were a few of us who were resistant to his tactics and procedures that were to insure our loyalty, and unfortunately...I'm only one of nine who survived. Some of the others who died were my friends too..." Kurama sighed, and his human companion looked at him sympathetically. Taking a deep breath, the fox continued, "Anyway, we're going to beat him by getting stronger, gathering allies, and spying on Orochimaru to find any weaknesses he may have."

Nodding, Naruto said, "Sounds good. But what allies? Who could we get to help us and how?"

"Well..." Kurama began slowly, "there's your mate for one."

"She's not my—wait, what?! No! Nata's not getting involved in this!" the boy protested. "She can't—I don't want her to get hurt! I—"

"Naruto," the fox interrupted him with a stern voice, "I never said she had to join us in the fighting. I just meant that if she is as skilled with technology as she seems, she could be quite useful in helping us."

"Oh..." Naruto mumbled while scratching the back of his head, a little embarrassed at his outburst. Clearing his throat, he muttered, "Yeah, I guess you're right about that."

Kurama chuckled at the boy. "You seem to care a lot about this girl considering you've only known her for less than a week."

Naruto shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "Yeah, I do. I can't explain it, Kurama. She just feels _right_ to me, ya know? Like I somehow know without fully knowing her that things will just work out between us. ...Does that make any sense?"

"Well, I'm no expert on human relationships, but what you're experiencing could be part of the instinct you gained from my gift," Kurama explained. "Some foxes, such as myself, mate for life, and when we find our mate, we usually know right away. Of course, things will be more complicated for you, since humans are more complex than my species—myself excluded."

"'More complex'? How?" Naruto asked confused.

"Humans—and me—are self-aware, so your likes, dislikes, and such will require you to be more careful about who you choose for your mate. In other words, even though I call her your mate, I suggest you get to know her better before you make anything permanent," Kurama clarified.

Naruto nodded. "Okay, I get it. But I was already planning on that anyway, ya know."

"Your dreams suggest otherwise," Kurama pointed out with a chuckle.

Naruto blushed and turned his attention back to the news mumbling, "Go chase your tail, Kurama." The fox laughed again.

The news was finishing its story on the mall incident, and the reporter was stating how two people besides the mysterious Kitsune Ninja were inside the mall during the incident—the Hyuuga heiress, who was being isolated from reporters by her family, and the grandson of Tsunade Namikaze and Jiraiya Namikaze, the famous doctor and author respectively.

"Wonder why no one's trying to interview me," Naruto thought out loud.

"Ha! They did earlier today. I heard them come to the door," Kurama told him.

"Yeah? What happened?"

"Your grandmother happened. She told them all to, and I quote, 'leave now or I will be seeing you all in my hospital, and you can do a story on how the doctor who's putting your bones back together is the same one who broke them all in the first place.'" Kurama laughed. "They didn't believe her until she took one man's camera and smashed it over his head."

"Wow," Naruto said impressed. "I always knew Granny had a temper, but dang!"

"Indeed. Your grandfather even asked her—once the reporters left—what she was so mad about. She told him that she didn't like the idea of you being shown all over the news for several reasons. One of which was your parents might see it and worry," Kurama told him.

Naruto just grunted in reply. He knew his parents would worry about him, but he was still feeling a little bitter about them being too busy to be with him. But it wasn't like he wanted to talk to the reporters anyway—he liked them about as much as he liked cops.

Kurama and Naruto continued to watch TV for a few more minutes as the news ended, and then the doorbell rang. Switching off the television, the young hero bolted to the door, excited to see his pretty blue-haired friend. He threw open the door, and standing there was Hinata, blushing and holding a flat, white box in her hands.

"Hey, Nata! Come in, come in!" Naruto ushered her inside the house.

"Thank you, Naruto," Hinata managed to say without stuttering as she walked through the door. Gesturing with the box she was holding, she asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Starved! Kurama is too," Naruto replied with a foxy grin.

Hinata looked down at the little fox, who was sitting on the floor watching the two humans. She bent over to scratch behind his ears and said, "Well, I hope he likes what I brought."

"I'm sure we both will!" Naruto told her cheerfully. "C'mon! We'll eat in the kitchen." He started walking toward the aforementioned room, and Hinata giggled while following him with Kurama right behind her.

Once in the kitchen, Hinata set the box down on the counter and opened it. "Cinnamon rolls?" Naruto asked while sitting on a barstool in front of the counter.

The bluenette nodded shyly as she sat on the stool next to his. "Y-Yes. They're my favorite food. Do...Do you not like them?"

"No, no. I like them a lot actually. Not as good as ramen, but still very good," the blonde grinned at her.

Hinata smiled happily—the smile that always seemed to make Naruto's heart skip a beat—and handed him a cinnamon roll. She was about to get one for Kurama as well, but the hungry, little fox jumped up on the counter and scarfed one down. Giggling at his antics, Hinata just grabbed a pastry for herself and took a bite.

"Geez, Kurama. I know you're hungry, but calm down," Naruto said after swallowing his last bite while watching the fox consume his third roll.

Hinata giggled. "It's okay, Naruto. I brought a dozen."

**–Believe it or not, I'm actually showing restraint,– **Kurama told his human partner with a few yips.

Hinata raised an eyebrow and commented, "You know, it's almost like he's talking back to you." The fact that both Kurama and Naruto paused in their eating with wide eyes was not lost on the bluenette, but she acted as if she didn't notice.

"Huh. Well, ya know, maybe in some way he can understand us," Naruto responded in an attempt to be casual.

Hinata feigned an innocent look, but inwardly she was smirking as she thought of a way to mess with the hero and his fox partner. "I'm sure he can," she said innocently. "I mean, look at his eyes. You can see the intelligence in them."

Naruto had to refrain from rolling his eyes as Kurama shot him a smug glance and started purring when Hinata began petting him. "See?" Hinata asked rhetorically. "It's almost like he knows I just complimented him."

The blonde cleared his throat, not knowing where this conversation was going but somehow feeling uncomfortable by it. "Yeah well, anyway," he began, "what do you want to do today, Nata?"

Said bluenette let out a sad sigh. "Well unfortunately, I can't stay long. I have to help get things ready for when you and your family come to dinner tonight." Which was only partially true—she did have to help, but not very much; she mostly just wanted more time to find the right outfit to wear to impress a certain blonde boy.

"Moh..." Naruto whined with his face scrunched up in a pout that Hinata couldn't help but find adorable. "I wanted to spend more time with you."

Hearing that, Hinata was touched. Sure, Naruto had admitted to being attracted to her already, but the blue-haired girl never thought too highly of herself, considering herself a burden and always thinking she was wearing out her welcome with her friends. Hearing Naruto say he wanted to spend time with her made her very happy, and her heart skipped a beat while a bit of red crossed her cheeks. Looking down at her hands in her lap, she twiddled her fingers and asked, "Really?"

"Of course, Nata! Why wouldn't you think so? You're really fun, smart, and pretty, and I'd like to get to know you better!" Naruto told her.

Hinata just gave him a small but genuine smile and whispered, "Thank you, Naruto."

Something about the look in her eyes made him suddenly feel compelled to hold her in his arms. Standing up from the barstool, the boy pulled Hinata into a hug, and when he saw Kurama's smirk, he gave the fox a pointed look that said, _"Off you go."_

Still smirking, Kurama jumped off the counter while the two teens continued to hold each other. The fox took one more backward glance at them, seeing Naruto with his face nuzzled into Hinata's hair and Hinata burying her face in Naruto's chest, and he smiled as he left the room.

Shortly after Kurama left, Hinata let out a quiet sigh that Naruto felt more than he really heard. Giving her a small squeeze, he asked, "A ryo for your thoughts, Nata?"

The bluenette merely shook her head a little and shrugged without letting go of Naruto. "I'm just happy I met you, Naruto. ...Sorry if that sounds weird." She blushed and sweat-dropped at what she said.

Naruto, however, felt his heart race upon hearing her say that, and he pulled back from the hug a bit to look at Hinata's face. "It's not weird at all, Nata," he grinned at her. "I'm happy I met you too."

Hinata gave him that heart-melting smile again, and the two found themselves staring into each other's eyes again—Naruto mesmerized by two lavender pearls, Hinata drowning in two sapphire pools. It wasn't long before that inexplicable pull started drawing their faces closer together. Their lips getting nearer and nearer...

Almost touching when...

They heard a cough at the kitchen doorway, and both teens broke apart in a flash as they looked at the source of the noise—Naruto's grandfather Jiraiya, who had a smirk on his face.

Naruto and Hinata's faces were both crimson—the bluenette more so than the blonde—and the Hyuuga heiress bowed her head and stared at the floor while the young hero glared at his grandfather. Jiraiya, however, just maintained his obnoxious smirk as he held Naruto's gaze unblinkingly.

"Good afternoon, Hinata," Jiraiya said to the heiress while continuing to smirk at Naruto.

"G-Good af-ftern-noon, J-J-Jiraiya," Hinata struggled to reply. Naruto's anger at his grandfather increased when he heard Hinata stutter that bad, knowing it was Jiraiya's presence after what almost happened that was causing her to feel so uncomfortable.

"What do you want, Jii-san?" Naruto asked in a strained voice, trying to keep his temper in check.

Ignoring the rudeness of his grandson's question, Jiraiya answered with a shrug, "I just came in here to fix myself some lunch and to see who you had over. I gotta say, I'm not surprised it's my future granddaughter-in-law."

Naruto and Hinata's eyes both widened as their blushes deepened when they heard the old man's joke, but Hinata's face darkened until the color red completely took over her face. She was mortified by Naruto's grandfather catching her and Naruto about to kiss, and his joke just made it worse. _"'Future granddaughter-in-law'?!"_ was the last thing that went through her head when everything went dark.

Luckily, Naruto with his heightened senses detected the increase in heart rate and breathing in his blue-haired friend, and remembering that was what happened before she fainted the last time, he was ready to catch her just as she started falling to the floor. "Ero-jii-san!" Naruto shouted angrily as he held Hinata up in his arms. Jiraiya just burst out laughing at the scene. "It's not funny!"

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Naruto moved Hinata's upper half to his right arm while he lifted up her legs in his left. Carrying her bridal-style, he took her to the living room to lay her down on the couch. Meanwhile, Jiraiya, who regained control over his laughter, followed his grandson and observed him from the living room doorway. He watched the boy's face as he made sure the bluenette was okay and comfortable. The tenderness in those blue eyes as they looked at the girl's sleeping face surprised the old man, and part of him felt a bit guilty now for ruining their moment in the kitchen.

Clearing his throat to gain Naruto's attention, Jiraiya asked, "So if I hadn't interrupted, what would've happened in the kitchen?"

The blonde's face took on a tinge of pink again, but he responded with, "What do you mean, Jii-san?"

"What I mean is, it was obvious you two were about to kiss," he began and ignored the strangled noise Naruto made as he was about to protest, "but what I want to know is, was that all that was going to happen?"

"What're you talking about?" Naruto was confused, not knowing what his grandfather was referring to, and it was starting to frustrate him.

Sighing, Jiraiya said, "You cannot be _that_ clueless, gaki! Was that kiss going to lead up to something more than kissing? Did you know I was home, or did you think you two were alone in the house? Have you kissed her before?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Naruto yelled with his hands up, gesturing for the old man to stop asking such embarrassing questions. "For crying out loud, Ero-jii-san! I've known her for less than a week! And besides that, I'm not a pervert like you, ya know! I actually want to wait 'til I'm married or at least in love before doing _that_."

"Okay, okay. Calm down, gaki. I'm sorry, alright? But seriously, by your own logic, my concern is warranted. As you said, you've only known her for less than a week, and yet I find you two about to kiss. Care to explain?" Jiraiya folded his arms and raised an eyebrow.

Naruto looked down and off to the side as he thought about how to answer his grandfather's question and decided to just repeat what he said to Kurama earlier, hoping the old man would have more of an answer than the fox had. Clenching his fists, he slowly managed to say, "I...I don't know what it is, Jii-san. I know we haven't known each other long, but...I just somehow feel close to her, ya know? Like she just feels _right _to me. Does that make sense?" He glanced back up at Jiraiya.

A grin crossed the old man's face. "Oh, yeah. It makes sense alright." Naruto looked hopeful as Jiraiya walked closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Sounds to me like you found The One, gaki."

"'The One'?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion.

"Yeah, you know, The One. Your soulmate. Miss Right. The one you're destined to spend your life with," Jiraiya elaborated.

Naruto scoffed. "I don't believe in that fate crap, Jii-san."

"Yeah, I don't really either. But I do believe that for some people, there is another out there that suits them better than anyone else. In your case, that may just be Hinata," Jiraiya told him, and Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "But she may not be too. Get to know her a bit better first, and in the meantime, control your hormones."

"Huh. Never thought I'd hear that from you," Naruto replied with a smirk.

Jiraiya let out a dry laugh. "Gaki, I may write adult novels, but that doesn't mean I'm about to encourage my 15-year-old grandson to do any of the things I write about. When you turn 18, however..."

"Granny will still kill you for trying to corrupt me," Naruto finished for him and laughed.

"Yeah..." Jiraiya sighed while sweat-dropping. "Unfortunately, you're right about that."

"Ya know, you can trust me, Jii-san," Naruto said seriously, looking his grandfather in the eyes.

The white-haired man considered the boy for a moment then smiled. Patting the blonde's shoulder, Jiraiya replied, "I know I can, gaki. You're a good kid. But more than that, you understand what your grandma will do to you if you do anything you know you're not supposed to."

Naruto agreed with a shiver.

Hearing the bluenette on the couch start to wake up, Jiraiya left the room to give the teens time alone, but not before telling Naruto to behave himself once more first. The boy responded by rolling his eyes, and as the old man left the room, Naruto turned around to see Hinata sitting up on the couch, rubbing her eyes.

"What happened?" she asked.

Naruto sat down next to her. "You don't remember?"

Seeing where she was and who was next to her, the memory of what happened in the kitchen came back to her. "O-Oh y-yeah. I-I r-r-remember n-now..."

"I'm sorry, Hinata. About what I almost did, and for my grandpa embarrassing you about it," Naruto apologized, thinking she must be angry with him.

"N-No, N-Naruto. It's ok-kay," she told him while poking her index fingers together. The boy looked up to see the bashful mannerism and smiled, but a blush quickly took over his face when he heard her whisper, "I r-really didn't m-mind the first thing."

"Oh, really?" Naruto asked with a mischievous grin as he leaned closer to Hinata, his face just inches away from hers.

Her face took on that same dark shade of red from before and she stuttered, "Y-Y-You h-h-heard th-tha-that?!"

Seeing her start to sway, the whisker-faced boy backed off and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her gently to try and keep her conscious. "Whoa, Nata! Calm down! I was just playing with you!"

Taking a deep breath, Hinata managed to push back the darkness. "S-Sorry," she gave a shy yet sheepish smile.

"Hey, it's my fault. I shouldn't have teased you. Don't worry about it," Naruto told her.

Hinata was about to respond when the doorbell rang. Naruto stood to answer it and opened the door to find the Hyuuga butler standing there.

"Oh hey, George. You here to pick up Hinata?" the blonde asked.

George bowed his head slightly and replied, "Indeed, Master Naruto. Is she ready to go?"

"I will be in a minute, George," the bluenette, having regained control over her stutter, answered as she appeared from behind her whisker-faced friend. "Just let me say goodbye to Naruto, and I'll be out to the car."

"As you wish, milady," George bowed again and turned to go back to his vehicle.

Naruto closed the door as Hinata took two things out of her pocket. She handed the blonde the first item. "Here's your headband."

"Thanks, Nata!" Naruto said cheerfully as he tied the headband around his head. Then he looked at the second item that she was fidgeting nervously with in her hands and asked, "What's that?"

"I-It's something I wanted to give you...j-just because..." the timid girl mumbled. She held up the object so he could see it better—it was small, flat, and rectangular, and one side of it was clearly a digital screen. "It's a Virtual Storage Device—one of my family's more famous inventions."

"Isn't that the thing that stores solid objects in digital form?" Naruto asked, and Hinata nodded with a smile. "I always thought those things sounded cool, but they're crazy expensive. How do they work?"

Hinata sweat-dropped. "Well, I don't know the exact details. I can understand what parts go where to build the hardware, and I can understand the codes and such to put together the software. But all the scientific physics and such that go into making it work are a bit beyond me. The most I can say is it condenses whatever objects you aim it at and somehow electronically stores them on the device. When you want the objects back, you select them on the screen here, and they will reappear."

Naruto shrugged and let out a laugh while rubbing the back of his head. "Well, I guess even if you did know all the scientific crap behind it, I wouldn't understand it anyway, ya know." Then his smile faded and he looked at Hinata seriously. "But did you say you were giving it to me?" The bluenette nodded in response and held it out to him, but he made no move to take it. "Why, Nata? These things are freakin' expensive! I can't just take one from you even if they do come from your family's company."

"But I want you to have it," she told him with a pout. "I made this one myself, and I think you could get more use out of it than me. Please take it."

The young hero was having a hard time resisting that pout, but he still didn't feel quite right about taking such an expensive gift from his friend, especially when her only reason was "just because she wanted him to have it." He was about to refuse again when another voice—or rather a series of yips—stopped him.

**–You should take it, Kit. It could come in handy with your ninja gear.–**

Hinata watched Naruto turn to the small fox, who was sitting in the middle of the hall watching them, and raise his eyebrow. _"It's almost like—"_ her thought was interrupted when she saw the blonde smile slightly and give Kurama an almost imperceptible nod. _"Definitely. He understands what Kurama says, and Kurama understands us."_

Her hypothesis was further confirmed when Naruto turned back to her and said, "Okay, Nata. I'll take it." As he took the device from her hand, he added, "But I'm gonna pay you back for it."

The bluenette just smiled sweetly at him. "There's no need, but I won't stop you." She giggled and elicited a chuckle from Naruto as well. Then they both heard a honk from outside. "Oops. George is getting impatient. I better get going." Naruto nodded while opening the door for her, and as Hinata started to walk out, she paused and turned back to him. In one quick, bold move, Hinata kissed Naruto on his whiskered cheek, whispered, "See you tonight," and was out the door, closing it behind her.

Touching his cheek, Naruto stood there stunned with a blush on his face for several moments until a certain fox burst out laughing behind him. The boy turned around and picked up Kurama by the scruff of his neck, and the fox just returned Naruto's glare with a smug smirk. Kurama opened his mouth to speak, but was immediately cut off with a "Shut up!"

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Several hours later, Naruto was dressed in a white, button-down shirt with a black suit jacket over it and black pants and dress shoes as well. He also wore a dark orange tie, but Tsunade had forbidden him from wearing his headband, saying, "It's not appropriate for a formal dinner," much to his chagrin. He'd considered wearing it anyway just to bother his grandmother, but decided against it when he considered he might embarrass Hinata by wearing it.

Naruto looked himself over in the mirror, and happy with how he looked, he checked to make sure his necklace was on underneath his shirt and that his new gadget from his beautiful, nerdy friend was strapped to his arm and hidden under his sleeve with all his ninja gear—now clean and dry—stored on it. He had to admit it was pretty cool when he used the Virtual Storage Device for the first time. Watching his stuff vanish with a zap and then show up on the device's screen as a tiny icon was something straight out of science fiction to him, and he liked it and was determined to return the favor to Hinata. He'd decided—well, actually Kurama suggested it—strapping it to his arm was safer than just putting the device in his pocket where it could fall out and get lost.

Satisfied that he had everything he needed, Naruto turned to Kurama, who was lying on his bed watching him. "You gonna be okay while we're gone?"

"Sure. Why wouldn't I be?" the fox asked in reply.

"I don't know," Naruto shrugged. "I'm not exactly an expert on what a fox needs, even if he is a genetically altered fox capable of human speech and mild shape-shifting, ya know."

Kurama chuckled at that. "Hmm. No, I guess not. But I think I'll be fine. I'm sure I won't get hungry until you get back, and if I do, I'm sure I can make it out your window here to go hunting."

"What about if something happens? How will we know and get back to each other?"

"We'll be fine," answered Kurama with a dismissive wave of his tail. "Our Instinct will tell us if either one of us is in trouble, and if we can't reach each other, we are perfectly capable of holding our own individually."

"True. Alright then. Well, I guess I'll—"

"Naruto! Are you ready yet?!" Tsunade called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah! I'll be down in a second!" he yelled back. "See you, Kurama," he told his fox friend and walked out of his room toward the stairs.

**–Let me know if you get another kiss from your mate!– **Kurama called after him, making the poor boy blush as he walked downstairs to meet his grandparents at the front door.

Tsunade was wearing a dark green dress that had a high collar which fit closely around her neck—it was the only way she could avoid showing cleavage with her endowment as large as it was, and she felt showing any wouldn't be appropriate at a dinner with the family of her grandson's friend. The dress was also sleeveless, and Tsunade wore a pair of low-heeled, dark green shoes with it. Jiraiya was dressed almost exactly the same as Naruto with the only exception being Jiraiya's tie was dark green to match his wife's dress instead of dark orange.

"You clean up pretty well, gaki. Your little girlfriend won't be able to take her eyes off you," Jiraiya said with a grin.

Naruto, whose face was still red, scowled at him, but before he could utter a retort, Tsunade cut in, "Alright, you two, just shut up and get in the car."

Fearing her wrath, both men just shouted, "Yes, ma'am!" before scrambling out the door to the vehicle.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The Namikaze family stood in the foyer of the Hyuuga mansion having just been let in by George. The butler was just about to escort them to the dining room when Hinata appeared at the top of the stairs. Noticing the heiress, George stopped so she could greet her guests, and Naruto could've sworn his heart stopped beating when he saw his blue-haired friend.

Hinata was wearing a lavender kimono that hugged her figure nicely with a dark blue sash around her waist. Naruto couldn't help but notice how the kimono complimented her eyes and the sash equally complemented her hair, which she was wearing in a loose bun held in place by two lavender hair-sticks to match her kimono.

The young hero's gaze was absolutely fixated on Hinata as she made her way gracefully down the steps toward him and his family. He never noticed Jiraiya nudging Tsunade and the two of them sharing a knowing look as they watched their grandson stare unwaveringly at the bluenette with a light blush on his face.

Hinata was equally enthralled with Naruto's appearance, finding him rather handsome in his suit, looking like a prince, and for a fleeting moment that caused her face to turn red, she wondered if that's how he would look on his wedding day. _"Where did that come from?!" _she mentally yelled at herself. Shrugging off her thoughts, Hinata reached the last step and approached the Namikazes and bowed. "Th-Thank you for c-coming, Lord J-Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade, N-Naruto. I'm very glad you could m-make it." She smiled at them while inwardly raging at herself for stuttering again.

"Of course, Hinata! Thank you for having us over," Tsunade returned the smile.

"Shall we continue on to the dining room, milady?" George asked.

"Oh, y-yes. L-Lead the way, George," Hinata replied with a small incline of her head.

George bowed and began walking toward the dining room with Tsunade and Jiraiya walking side-by-side behind him and Naruto and Hinata next to each other behind his grandparents. Leaning close to his blue-haired friend, Naruto whispered, "You look beautiful, Nata."

The girl's blush darkened. "Th-Thank you, N-Naruto. You l-look very h-handsome as well," she whispered back. Said boy blushed and gave her a foxy grin in thanks.

The Namikazes plus Hinata entered the dining room behind George, who announced the three guests to Hiashi. The Hyuuga lord greeted each guest, and the usual pleasantries were exchanged before everyone was seated at the table. Hiashi sat at the end and insisted his guests sit to either side of him, so Jiraiya was on his right, Tsunade on his left, then Naruto had Hinata sit next to his grandmother, and Naruto sat on Hinata's other side. Next to Jiraiya was Hanabi and then Neji, who glared at his cousin and the blonde boy next to her from across the table.

As the food was being served, the three adults made small talk while Hanabi—who was always trying to seem like an adult—listened curiously, and Hinata and Naruto were engaged in their own conversation that started with the whisker-faced boy asking why all the servants were Hyuugas. He thought the Hyuugas altogether were a wealthy family, so he didn't understand why some of them were servants. Not wanting to discuss the subject right there, Hinata just promised to tell him later, and they moved on to other subjects, such as their shared interests. Meanwhile, Neji continued to glare.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

As soon as Naruto and his grandparents left the house, Kurama leapt off his human friend's bed and went to snoop around the house. He didn't really have a goal in mind—he was just curious and wanted to learn more about Naruto's family. So the first place he went was the part of the house he hadn't been to yet: Tsunade's and Jiraiya's studies.

Tsunade's study was first since it was closer, but there wasn't much of interest to the sapient fox in there. It was mostly large books lining the shelves surrounding the blonde doctor's desk, and on the desk was her laptop computer and piles of paperwork. Really, the only amusing thing Kurama could find was that Naruto's grandmother kept a couple bottles of sake stored away in a bottom drawer of her desk.

"I should tell Naruto about that later. He'd probably think it was funny," Kurama chuckled quietly to himself. Then he looked around at all the books and sighed. "It's too bad I can't read. Maybe Naruto can teach...me..." He cringed at the thought of his idiot friend teaching him anything. "I hope he can tell his mate about us soon. I'd rather learn from her."

Leaving the room, Kurama went a bit further down the hall to Jiraiya's office door, which unlike Tsunade's door, was closed. The mutant fox used his special size-alteration ability to grow large enough that he could easily grab the doorknob with his front paws and turn it, and luckily, the door wasn't locked. Once open, Kurama returned to his normal-fox size and entered the room.

At first glance, Jiraiya's office wasn't any different than Tsunade's, but upon closer inspection, one could see the books that filled the shelves were different than the ones in the blonde doctor's office. Their sizes were more varied, and some of them had rather colorful covers, whereas the ones Naruto's grandmother owned were more uniform in size and color. Jiraiya's desk was messier than his wife's as well.

Kurama jumped up onto the office chair to get a better look at the stuff on the desk, and he almost immediately regretted it. There were numerous drawings and doodles of naked women scattered across the desk among messy piles of typed and handwritten papers, which were somewhat burying Jiraiya's laptop.

"I can see why Naruto calls his grandfather a pervert," Kurama mused aloud with a sweat-drop. "This must be that 'research' of his that Naruto told me about." Hopping down from the chair, the fox was about to leave the office when he noticed something odd about one of the bookshelves. There were slight, almost imperceptible scuff marks on the front edge of the shelves and the outer frame. "How did that happen?" asked Kurama with a curious tilt of his head, and he decided to investigate.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Neji was pissed. Since the beginning of dinner, he's had to watch the blonde imbecile across the table from him touch—no, _grope_—his cousin repeatedly, and no one was stopping him. The very idea that the whisker-faced idiot thought he had a chance with a member of the noble Hyuuga family—even if it was the failure of the family—made his blood boil, but to see him behaving so inappropriately with her made him want to leap across the table and tear the boy's blonde head off.

In reality, Naruto was being the perfect gentleman. He had held Hinata's chair out for her when they first sat down, and he had barely touched her other than the occasional nudge with his elbow when he was trying to get her attention or was making a joke. In fact, it wasn't until he noticed Neji's unwavering glare directed at him and Hinata that he and his blue-haired friend decided to have some more fun at the brown-haired Hyuuga's expense. What Neji thought was "groping" was really just Naruto touching Hinata's hand, occasionally trailing his fingers over her arm, and at one point, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. The blonde hero could actually see a vein in Neji's forehead distended and throbbing, and it was all he and Hinata could do to keep from laughing.

The adults were still engaged in their own conversation. The only thing that had been said to the kids by the adults was when Hiashi asked Naruto about his whisker-marks. So they didn't really notice what was going on between Naruto, Hinata, and Neji aside from Hiashi, who made a mental note to talk to his daughter and nephew—and possibly the young Namikaze as well—later. But at the moment, even the stern, no-nonsense Hiashi was curious to see what would be the breaking point for his nephew's temper, and he was even more curious to see what Neji would do once his temper did snap.

Hanabi, whose attention was divided between what the adults were talking about and what was going on with her sister, was waiting to see what her cousin would do as well.

The answer to that question came a few minutes later when Naruto did something which was the last straw for Neji: he put his arm around Hinata.

Slamming his hands down on the table, Neji jumped to his feet and shouted, "NAMIKAZE! UNHAND LADY HINATA IMMEDIATELY!"

Everyone stared wide-eyed at Neji, who stood there seething with rage at the blonde boy across from him. A stifling moment of silence passed, and then...Naruto erupted in laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Oh man! Haha! I was wondering when you'd lose it, Neji! Hahahaha!" The whisker-faced hero nearly fell out of his chair in the throes of hilarity.

Neji's face was red with anger, and everyone at the table could only look on in shocked silence as the brown-haired boy leapt over the table, slamming his feet into Naruto's face in the process. The force of the kick sent the blue-eyed hero flying back a few feet where he landed on the floor with a thud.

"Naruto!" Hinata shouted worriedly as she started to rush over to the aforementioned boy, but she was stopped by her cousin's stern warning to stay out of it.

The Hyuuga boy took his Gentle Fist stance as Naruto sat up and rubbed his cheek, and Hiashi, Jiraiya, and Tsunade were on their feet, ready to intercept a fight. The three adults also noted with some surprise that the boy's face didn't look injured at all despite the apparent power of Neji's kick.

Getting to his feet, Naruto chuckled. "Geez, Neji. You really need to learn to lighten up, ya know."

Said boy gritted his teeth and hissed, "And you need to learn appropriate behavior! How dare you grope Lady Hinata! And in public no less!"

"Grope her?" Naruto asked confused, and he looked to Hinata and the others to see if any of them knew what Neji was talking about. The shy girl was blushing at the idea, Tsunade was glaring at Naruto because she thought her grandson did something while she wasn't looking, Jiraiya had a perverted yet confused look on his face, and Hiashi was face-palming. Basically, no one had anything helpful for the young hero. Looking back at the Hyuuga boy, he said, "What are you talking about, Neji? I barely touched her! And definitely not anywhere I shouldn't!"

"You shouldn't be touching her at all!" he shouted and charged at Naruto. "Now pay for your insolence!"

"NEJI, STOP!"

The Hyuuga boy froze at the sound of his uncle's booming voice, his open palm stopped just inches from slamming into Naruto's unflinching face.

"You will not attack a guest in our house. Stand down. Now," Hiashi commanded.

Neji withdrew his hand and stood up straight, biting his tongue hard when he saw Naruto's triumphant smirk. Hanging his head in shame, the Hyuuga boy said in a low voice, "Yes, Lord Hiashi. Please forgive me."

The older Hyuuga sighed. "You're excused from the table, Neji. We will discuss your behavior later." Said boy nodded solemnly and left the room. Once he was gone, Hiashi turned to the Namikazes and said with a low bow, "Please excuse my nephew's behavior. He tends to be overzealous in his family duties. Are you all right, Naruto?"

The boy in question walked back to his chair and grinned at Hiashi. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've been hit with a lot worse than that before." He chuckled.

"I see," Hiashi replied with a small smile. "Neji has been trained in the Hyuuga family's Gentle Fist style since he was four years old and is a prodigy in it, and yet you are unfazed. Your own training must be quite intense."

Scratching the back of his head, Naruto answered, "Um, yeah. I guess you could say that."

Before anyone could say anymore, the servants brought in desert. Wordlessly, everyone sat back down in their seats and continued to eat.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Kurama had spent the better part of an hour trying to figure out the mystery of the scuffed-front bookshelf, but alas, he didn't know what he could do that didn't require moving something. He was afraid to move any of the books or anything because he wasn't sure if he could remember where they went or if Jiraiya would notice if anything had been shifted in the slightest. It would be kind of hard to explain how something was moved when no one was home except a seemingly normal fox and the door to the study was closed.

Sighing, Kurama muttered, "I'll just have to get Naruto to check it out later. His snooping might get him in trouble, but at least it's explainable."

And with that thought in mind, the fox turned and left the room, using his tail to pull the door closed.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

When dinner was over, the adults retired to the living room for tea while Hinata and Naruto excused themselves to go for a walk around the Hyuuga manor's garden. Hanabi tried to tag along, but her plan was foiled when her father reminded her that her bedtime was in a few minutes.

Stepping out into the cool, night air, Naruto offered his arm to Hinata, who took hold of it with a blush, which intensified when she felt his bicep through his sleeve. The two walked in silence for several moments before the whisker-faced boy said, "So, Nata... What's up with your family?"

_"I knew he wouldn't forget about asking me that,"_ the bluenette thought with a sigh. "Well...i-it's complicated, Naruto."

Now it was the blonde boy's turn to sigh. "Hinata, I'm not trying to pressure you into telling me anything. But I would like to know what Neji's problem is, and I think I should know considering he kicked me in the face tonight."

"Can't really argue with that." Hinata mumbled and led Naruto over to a bench by the garden pond and sat down with him. Taking a deep breath, Hinata began to explain. "My family is divided into two parts—the Main Family and the Branch Family. The Main Family is basically just the head of the family, his or her spouse, and their firstborn child. For example, my father, my mother when she was alive, and me. There are the elders of the family too, who advise my father on family and business matters. The elders are really just my grandparents from my mom and dad's sides—the former family head, his wife, and then the parents of the new family head's spouse. Everyone else belongs to the Branch Family, who serves the Main Family."

"Okay, wait," Naruto interrupted. "So your sister is in the Branch Family?"

The bluenette shook her head, increasing the boy's confusion. "No, she's not. Not yet anyway. My father wants to change how our family works, but the elders do everything they can to maintain tradition."

"But I don't understand. If your dad's in charge and these elders are just advisors, how can they stop him from doing whatever he wants?" Naruto asked.

"I'm not really sure," Hinata replied honestly. "I know when someone becomes a Branch member, they have to sign what's become known as the Caged Bird Contract, so my best guess is there's a bunch of legal stuff that my father has to sort through before he can unite both sides of the family."

The blonde nodded at the sense of her explanation, but he had to ask, "What exactly is this Caged Bird Contract?"

Hinata looked up from the ground and stared out across the pond. "The Caged Bird Contract is a legally binding document that forces all who sign it into servitude to the Main Family. Those who are to become Branch members are usually forced to sign it when they are very young. Neji had to when he was only four years old just like his father, who was my father's twin brother—younger than my father by only two minutes. If anyone refuses to sign the contract, they are cast out of the family, ryoless and completely on their own, and if their immediate family is part of the Branch Family, they are thrown out as well."

"Whoa, what?!" Naruto was shocked. "You mean if Neji had refused to sign it, he and his dad would've been thrown out with absolutely no money and no home?!"

"Yes," the quiet girl answered with a small nod. "And if Neji's father was a Main Family member or was dead at the time, then Neji—four-year-old Neji—would've been cast out and left to fight for his survival alone on the streets."

"Wha-But, But that can't be legal!" Naruto sputtered in disbelief.

The bluenette next to him let out a sad sigh. "Unfortunately, Naruto, anything's legal when you have enough money to buy off anyone who could get you in trouble."

"But...Argh! That's just so...wrong!" the hero gritted his teeth in anger and clenched his fist, and he briefly remembered Kurama telling him the same thing earlier that day.

"It gets worse," Hinata said quietly, and the boy looked at her with apprehensive blue eyes. "If a Branch member is ever caught in breach of their contract, such as by refusing to perform their duties to the Main Family, then one of three punishments is given to them: exile, being sold, or hard labor. If exiled, they are cast out of the family with no money just as if they'd refused to sign the Caged Bird Contract in the first place, but I've heard stories of the elders in the past making sure that those who are cast out can never find work anywhere. In other words, they end up being unable to survive outside the family." She paused, hearing Naruto's sharp intake of breath as he tried to hold back his anger. "The second punishment is fairly self-explanatory: the Branch member in breach of their contract can be sold to any willing buyers as essentially a slave. The third punishment is still slavery, but it's kept within the family. And before you ask, it is technically legal. The Branch Family members signed the contract, so they technically know the terms and agreed to them. Slavery may be illegal, but not if someone signs away his or her own rights. The only thing really illegal here is forcing them to sign the contract in the first place."

"Hinata, that's...that's just so messed up," was all Naruto could say.

"Yes...it is," the bluenette whispered in sadness.

A long silence passed, and then Naruto turned to Hinata, who was astonished by the intense determination burning in those azure eyes of his. "Hinata, I promise to help your family change. If your dad can't do it, then I'll make sure you do. No matter how much legal crap we have to sift through or how many people I have to beat up, I won't let you, your sister, or anyone else end up in the Branch Family. And I never go back on my word!"

Hinata just stared at Naruto for a moment, and the look in his eyes made her feel like if anyone could help her screwed-up family change, it would be him. She felt so relieved to have someone willing to help her with her desire to change her family, she threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "Thank you, Naruto. Thank you so much!" she cried into his chest.

Returning the embrace, Naruto replied, "Of course, Nata. It's what friends are for."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

End of chapter! Sweet monkeys, it was a rather long one, huh? Hopefully worth the wait, though. :P And the next chapter is our hero's first day of school. I tried to fit it in this one, but since I said last chapter that it may or may _not_ be in this chapter, no one can accuse me of lying. The next chapter will be done in a few short days, though. :D

And I want no flames about the Virtual Storage Device (or anything else either). I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am NOT a scientist, nor am I about to do any sort of serious research for a fanfiction. So if my explanation wasn't good enough, well, I can tell you what you should do with that opinion—and it involves a rusty rake and a sensitive area of your body. That being said, I would appreciate _helpful_ suggestions for a better explanation (or a better name for it), but nothing that could be defined as a flame, which is any insult toward me or my story. _Constructive_ criticism doesn't involve demeaning someone at all.

If it helps, just think of the thing as the technological version of a sealing scroll.

And also, be glad I didn't make it a transformation locket. Hehehe... Sailor Moon/Naruto crossover anyone? Oh geez no. Hahaha! "In the name of the Leaf Village, Sailor Kitsune will punish you!" I can almost feel the killing intent from Naruto for that one...

*shudder* That would be funny and HORRIBLY disturbing all at the same time.

I really wonder how many people read my author's notes anyway... And yet, if you skipped this time, you probably just saved yourself from a disturbing image. Hahaha. :P

But anyway, I was originally going to hold off on posting this until I was finished with the next chapter, but I'm too impatient to do that. And it's making me rush on the next chapter, which is never a good thing. So expect the next chapter within a few days. I'd say, barring any unforeseen problems, it should be up by Wednesday the 13th. Hopefully sooner, but I can't promise that.

Hope this chapter holds you over until then. :)


	7. The First Day of School

*epic fanfare plays* Well, thanks to my computer's wireless capabilities coming back from the dead, I am now able to answer many of your reviews through PMing instead of filling up space here in the chapters. I will still answer my guest reviewers here since obviously I can't otherwise, and some of you who've signed in to review will probably be answered here as well as through PM if I feel like the answers to your questions would benefit other readers to see as well. But overall, this should be a space-saver. Woo! \o/

Speaking of my guest reviewers, though, I want to thank those of you who are polite, if not rather nice, in your reviews. I've had at least 3 flames for this story so far, and each of them was a guest reviewer. Gotta love those who are not only stupidly judgmental (seriously, they didn't get past Chapter 1, and that's if they even read it at all), but also don't have the guts to put their name next to their insult. Idiotic trolls better hope I never develop the means to fry their computers remotely for trolling. Internet civility will be 100% under my regime then! Mwahahahahaha!

*clears throat* Anyway! Review time!

My one guest reviewer first.

**Still liking it**: Hahahaha! I know, right? I'm so curious to see if someone actually did a crossover of Naruto and Sailor Moon, but at the same time, I'm WAY too scared to go look. Whatever you see cannot be unseen! XP

And for the rest of you who commented on the Virtual Storage Device, first of all, thank you for not flaming me about that. I know pretty much all of you said it seemed far-fetched or unrealistic, but at least you didn't get out your torches and pitchforks about it, especially since I've seen far worse ideas used in fanfics that no one seemed to flame about. But I digress. Yes, I realize it's a bit out there, and one reviewer suggested I describe it as "storage in energy form (like pokemon universe or star trek)"—thank you **thor94** for that—and that's pretty much what I had in mind when I came up with it. The storage in energy form thing at least; I didn't really consider that Pokemon or Star Trek used it. So if it helps to think of it that way, then there you go. I just needed something for Naruto to keep his outfit in without carrying around a bag all the time, and his outfit isn't skin-tight like Superman's or Spiderman's. So wearing it under his normal clothes was out of the question. And when I asked my friend **p13600d **for ideas, he told me about The Flash's ring that stores his outfit by condensing it with some sort of gas, so the Virtual Storage Device is basically that idea except instead of a gas, it's energy and digital storage. Make sense? How I'm picturing this world is pretty high-tech (for any of you Mass Effect fans, it's near Mass Effect-level technology, just minus the space-exploration), so expect more strange, out-there ideas. This story is by no means hard science-fiction, and thus some things will just have to be taken as they are. But if any of you are nerdy scientists, I'm willing to listen to your explanations and possibly use them. I'm just a nerd—by no means a scientist. Just keep that in mind. :P

Thank you everyone who followed/faved, and especially those of you who reviewed! **Still liking it**,** Zamrok**,** zaxadillo**,** bacon of doom **(again, man, I love your name!), **TheMagicManWithThePlan**,** Chewie Cookies **(you're especially helpful!), **Kauris Azurai**,** thor94**,** MYK-ON**,** nightwalker4eva**, **Samnamikaze23**, **ladygoddess8**, **divis5**, and **Haibara**, I appreciate the positive feedback and that some of you gave me some things to think about. :) Now, to introduce the chapter!

This is the first day of school for our hero, and the introduction of everyone's favorite teme! *explosion of confetti* Hahaha! To be clear, I'm neither a fan of Sasuke, nor do I hate him, and I don't intentionally bash on any character. Honestly, I enjoy the stories where Sasuke's a jerk but still friends with Naruto more than the stories where Sasuke's one of the main antagonists. I do think he works well as a villain, but I like him better when he plays the role of Naruto's trolling older brother. :P Used properly, the Last Uchiha can be quite humorous. XD

Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto. If I did, there's no way the series would be ending this year or anytime soon. The war would be, of course. I'm getting rather anxious for the extremely long fight to end. But the series wouldn't be ending by any means. Maybe it's for the best, though. It'd be kind of sad to see Naruto get run into the ground like DBZ did. Don't get me wrong, I really liked DBZ up through the Cell Games Arc, but to be frank, everything after Cell just kept getting weirder and not very good. Especially since pretty much everyone—including Gohan, who was the one to take down Cell—was reduced to being merely a battery for Goku to recharge him during all the fights. Kinda sad, really.

But I digress. Onto the chapter!

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

"There! Finally, it's finished!" the blue-haired mistress of gadgets declared as she stood triumphantly over her worktable, her latest accomplishment lying on it before her.

After three days of serious, hard work—and two sleepless nights—Hinata had finally finished a working prototype of the kinetic barriers system. Granted, the batteries she'd had to use to make the system lightweight enough for effective use in battle also made the system less durable and take longer to recharge the shields, and in addition, the system still needed a field test to determine its true effectiveness. But for the moment, the Hyuuga heiress figured it would work and that she could always make improvements over time.

There was really only one problem now: How could she get this to Naruto without him knowing that she knows his secret?

Hinata sighed at that thought, but decided she'd figure it out on her way to school. Packing up her finished project and making her way to her room, the bluenette finished getting ready for the day. She'd gotten up early to complete the kinetic barriers system, but had yet to get dressed or eat breakfast. In a few short minutes, Hinata emerged from her room wearing a lavender blouse, black skirt that reached her knees, and a pair of black, low-heeled shoes, and she went to the kitchen to eat her breakfast while she waited for Naruto to show up.

When Naruto and Hinata left the garden the night the Namikazes came to dinner at the Hyuuga mansion, they both decided that it would probably be for the best if they didn't hang out for the next three days before school started. They agreed that Neji should have time to cool off before he saw Naruto again, and as much as Hinata liked being around her blonde hero, she was wanting more time to work on the kinetic barriers project. So all through Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Naruto and the Hyuuga heiress communicated only via text and during Hinata's short video game breaks where she played online with the whisker-faced boy. But neither one of them minded too much—they still got to talk to each other, and since their conversations started from the moment they were both awake and ended as soon as one of them fell asleep, by the end of the weekend, the two teens knew quite a bit more about each other and felt closer because of it.

And now since Hinata liked to walk to school rather than being driven there by George, she was waiting for Naruto, who had to pass by her house on his way to school anyway, to come get her so they could walk together.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Meanwhile, the blonde superhero in question, dressed in his usual attire with his bag slung over his shoulder, was walking toward the home of his blue-haired princess, resisting the urge to run there at his fastest pace to be near her quicker, and distracting himself by thinking over what transpired over the last three days at his home. Nothing too major had happened on the superhero side of things; he'd just done his usual routine of going out at night and tracking down and beating up bad guys before turning them in to the police. No strange creatures had emerged yet, but Kurama had warned Naruto to be on his guard as he suspected another major fight was about to happen soon. The whisker-faced boy agreed with the fox's suspicion.

On the non-superhero side of Naruto's life, however, the boy had discovered something very interesting.

When the Namikazes returned home from the Hyuuga mansion Thursday night, Kurama told his human partner about his strange discovery of the scuffed-front bookshelf. At first, Naruto didn't see what the big deal was, but the mutant fox wouldn't let the matter drop, claiming that his Instinct was practically screaming at him to find out more about the bookshelf. So late afternoon the next day when Tsunade was working at the hospital and Jiraiya was running errands, Naruto and Kurama went to investigate the mysterious bookshelf in the perverted author's study.

It only took the young hero a matter of minutes to find out the bookshelf slid backwards and to the side.

"Wow," Naruto had muttered in shock.

"How did you know moving a book would do that?" Kurama had questioned.

"I didn't. I've just seen that work in movies, but I didn't actually expect it to work now."

The two had then proceeded down the steps beyond the bookshelf and came to the metal door with its sophisticated locks on it, and the whisker-faced boy suggested they turn back since he had no idea how to get past the locks and didn't know what tampering with them might do. Kurama had reluctantly agreed and suggested that they get Hinata's help whenever they reached the point Naruto could tell her the truth about them.

The blonde teenager hoped that day would come soon for more reasons than just being able to break into his grandfather's secret basement room. He wanted to be able to share his secret with another person instead of just his sapient fox friend, and he really wanted Hinata to be that person. As weird as it might be with only knowing her for a week, Naruto felt he could trust the bluenette with his secret, and the idea of her helping him by coming up with shiny new gadgets for him to use in his fights was exciting to him.

But on the other side of the coin, there was the possibility that she would react badly to knowing he was the Kitsune Ninja. Sure, she had seemed truly impressed with the superhero who saved her life twice, but that didn't necessarily mean she would be happy to learn that her new friend was that hero. What if she was scared of how strong he was? Or that he was technically a mutant? What if she didn't want to have anything to do with him because she might end up a target of his enemies? What right did he have to risk her life just by associating with her?

His angst-filled thoughts kept him occupied even as George let him into the Hyuuga mansion and continued as he waited for Hinata in the foyer.

Lucky for him, his dark thoughts were shattered quickly by an angelic voice saying, "Naruto? Are you okay?"

The boy in question looked up to the source of the voice and saw Hinata standing there with a concerned expression on her face. "Oh hey, Nata!" he smiled at her. "I'm fine! How are you this morning?"

"I'm okay, but are you sure you are?" the bluenette asked while walking closer to him. "You looked rather unhappy about something."

"Oh, hehe," Naruto chuckled lightly as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm just nervous about being the new kid at school is all."

Hinata knew that wasn't true and not just because she could see it in his eyes. While she knew from her conversations with Naruto that he wasn't exactly thrilled about going back to school, she also knew that he was excited to meet their classmates and possibly make more friends. If he was nervous at all, it wasn't enough for him to even mention it.

Feeling bold, Hinata took Naruto's hand and looked up into his surprised, blue eyes. Her bold move caused her to stutter as she said, "P-Please d-don't lie to me." He was about to protest, but she cut him off. "I c-can tell when someone's lying, Naruto. E-Everyone in my family is trained to read people, and while I'm n-nowhere near as skilled at it as my little sister or especially Neji, I can st-still tell that what you just s-said isn't true." She looked down to the floor and squeezed his hand. "I w-won't ask you to tell me what's really wrong if you don't want to, b-but I want you to know that I'm here f-for you and that I want to h-help you with whatever's bothering you."

The blonde boy was speechless. The combination of Hinata not only catching him in a lie while saying she's trained to be able to tell when someone's lying—something about that was nagging at him in the back of his mind too—and telling him that she wants to help him surprised him greatly.

Grateful for her words and because he had missed her from three days without her, Naruto engulfed Hinata in a tight hug. "Thanks, Nata," he said quietly, still holding her, and he felt her return the embrace. "And I'm sorry for lying." Pulling back to look at her face, he told her, "I was just thinking about something depressing. I'll tell you about it later, okay?"

"Okay," the bluenette gave him her heart-melting smile and pulled out of the hug, but Naruto caught her hand and held onto it.

"Shall we go?" he asked with a foxy grin, and she nodded while blushing at the fact that he was holding her hand. He pulled her gently along with him as they made their way out of the mansion. When they reached the end of the driveway, Naruto thought of something and inquired, "Hey, Nata? Where's Neji at? Shouldn't he be heading to school too?"

"Oh, h-he left already. He has his own c-car, and he d-drives Hanabi to school too," Hinata explained.

"Ah," Naruto voiced in understanding. "Good to hear. I was wondering if I should be expecting another flying kick to the face." He chuckled dryly.

Hinata squeezed his hand and turned her gaze to the ground. "I'm really s-sorry he did that, N-Naruto."

"Hey, don't worry about it, Nata. You don't have to apologize for him, and it's not like he actually hurt me," the blonde said cheerfully.

Lavender eyes still focused on the ground flashed with a devious light as a thought occurred to the Hyuuga heiress. Keeping an innocent face, Hinata looked up at the whisker-faced boy and asked, "B-By the way, Naruto, how is it that you didn't get hurt?"

"What do you mean, Nata?" he asked in actual innocence.

"I mean, I've sparred against Neji before, and I've seen his spars against others. That kick should've _at least_ bruised your face if not broken something," the bluenette told him.

_"...Oh...crap! Need an excuse!"_ Naruto thought in a mild panic. But as he opened his mouth to make up something, he remembered her saying, _"I c-can tell when someone's lying, Naruto,"_ and he immediately shut his mouth again. He racked his brain for a way to answer her without lying while also not telling her the truth, and if that wasn't hard enough, there was still something about what Hinata said that was nagging at the back of his mind. Something about it was important, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Hinata watched her blonde crush struggle with how to answer her for a few minutes while wondering if the boy knew he'd been silent for all that time, and she was about to let him off the hook when she heard someone call out to them from up ahead. The blonde and bluenette looked up to see Kiba standing by Shino near a tree in the schoolyard. The red-tattooed boy waved to them and shouted again. Hinata called and waved back, not missing for a second the small sigh of relief coming from Naruto shortly before he returned the greeting to Kiba as well, but she pretended not to notice.

As the two approached Kiba and Shino, the dog-lover noticed their entwined hands, and a mischievous grin crossed his face. "Hey, Naruto! Did you decide you couldn't wait any longer to ask Hinata to be your girlfriend?" he teased.

"Huh?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "What're you talking about, Kiba?" The Inuzuka just pointed to Naruto and Hinata's joined hands, and the blush the Hyuuga girl had from Kiba's question deepened. The blonde hero, however, just shrugged and said with a chuckle, "No, we're not going out yet. I just felt like holding my beautiful friend's hand, and she didn't seem to mind."

"I guess not since she hasn't let go yet either," Kiba pointed out, causing Hinata to "EEP!" in shock as she took her hand from Naruto's and hid both her hands behind her back while keeping her gaze focused on the ground.

"Kiba!" the blonde whined with a pout. "Why'd you have to do that? I was enjoying that, ya know!"

The fang-tattooed boy scoffed lightly. "If you enjoy holding her hand so much, why don't you two just start dating already?"

"I've only been here for two weeks, ya know, and known her for only half that time!" Naruto protested. "I'm not gonna scare her off by moving too fast!"

"Oh please! She's clearly okay with the idea, so why don't you—"

"Why don't you both be quiet before you cause Hinata to faint?" Shino interrupted Kiba in his usual monotone as he pointed to the Hyuuga heiress whose face was so red she was practically glowing, and she was beginning to sway on her feet.

Naruto shook her shoulder gently, and Hinata took a deep breath to push back the darkness that was starting to cloud her vision. Feeling better, she managed to stutter, "C-Can we discuss s-something else b-besides N-Naruto's and my r-relationship now p-please?"

"Sure, Hinata," Kiba replied with a light laugh. "I was just playing with you guys anyway."

"You should be aware, though," Shino began, "that Ino has already started the rumor that you two are a couple."

Hinata gasped while Naruto sighed. "I don't get it. She was all over me at the mall. Why would she tell everyone I was someone else's boyfriend?"

"Well, this is just a guess, but I'd say it was because you told her she was a bad friend when she was being mean to Hinata," Kiba suggested. "So the rumor's either revenge or Ino's twisted way of making things up to Hinata."

"Huh?" was all Naruto could say.

"It's either revenge because such a rumor could ruin your relationship before it even starts, or Ino making amends to Hinata because Ino thinks it could get you guys together sooner," Shino explained. "However, another logical possibility is that Ino spread this rumor simply because she loves to gossip."

"Well, yeah. There's that too," Kiba conceded.

"Whatever the case is," Naruto began in an irked tone, "she just made our lives more difficult than they needed to be, ya know. Personally, I couldn't give a crap less what people think—whatever goes on between me and Hinata is our business and no one else's. But I'd still prefer to not have everything broadcast to everyone whether what's being said is true or not."

Hinata let out a sad sigh, and all three boys turned to her. "Indeed. And unfortunately for me, there are a couple of people whom I do have to be concerned over what they think for my own sake."

"Let me guess. Neji and your dad, right?" Naruto inquired.

"Yes," the bluenette nodded. "Neji most likely knows now, and by the end of the day, Father will too. No doubt Neji will lash out at you too for this, Naruto, and my father will probably forbid me from associating with you if he thinks you really went behind his back and started dating me without his permission."

The blonde sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "Well, I'm not worried about Neji. I've been looking for an excuse to beat the tar out of him anyway. But as for your dad, I'll go with you after school to clear things up with him."

"Thank you, Naruto," Hinata said with a small smile.

"No problem," he smiled back at her. Then his smile turned into a thoughtful frown. "But ya know, there's something I don't get. What is it with girls' fathers wanting you to ask permission to date their daughters first? No girl has to come ask a guy's mother if she can date the guy, so what the heck's with us having to ask the father of the girl?"

"Tell me about it," Kiba replied as he folded his arms. "I get that dads are typically real protective of their daughters, but meeting the guy your daughter wants to date doesn't exactly prevent her from dating jerks."

"Indeed. Typically, the sort of guys who seek to have their fun and leave a young lady heartbroken are the ones who refuse to meet the girl's father in the first place. And if they do end up meeting the father, most can actually be charming enough that the father accepts them without ever suspecting that he shouldn't." Everyone just stared at Shino as he finished speaking, and after a moment of awkward silence, the bug enthusiast asked, "What?"

Kiba spoke up first. "Dang, Shino. I didn't expect you to know anything about dating stuff."

The hooded boy turned to his tattooed friend and inquired, "And why is that?"

"Well, it's just...um...I've never even seen you with a girl," Kiba replied hesitantly. "Besides Hinata anyway, and she's just our friend."

"Do you find me incapable of acquiring a girlfriend?" Shino asked, his voice still not showing any hint of emotion, although his eyebrows were drawn closer together—the equivalent of a small frown for the Aburame.

"No, no!" Kiba waved his hands in front of him nervously. His silent friend really scared him sometimes. "I didn't say that!"

"I have had my share of girlfriends, Kiba. Just because I was discreet in my relationships doesn't mean they don't exist." And with that, Shino walked off toward the school building.

After a second's stunned silence, the Inuzuka ran off after his hooded friend, shouting, "Hey! Wait up, Shino! I wanna hear about these secret girlfriends!"

Hinata and Naruto just blinked in surprise as they watched the two go. "Nata?" Naruto began.

"Yes, Naruto?"

"Your friends are weird."

Hinata giggled. "You know you're included in that, right?"

Naruto laughed as well. "I figured as much," he grinned at her. As the two started walking toward the school building, the hero's face grew serious again, and he asked, "So, Nata, how do you want to handle this rumor?"

The bluenette looked up at him in confusion. "What do you mean, Naruto?"

"I mean, are we outright denying it if anyone asks, or are we just letting them think what they want, or what?" he replied.

"W-Well, that d-depends... A-Are you asking me t-to be your g-girlfriend?" she inquired shyly as her face turned red.

"Like this? No way!" Naruto stated. "When I ask you that, I'm gonna make it special and not just because of some rumor. But at the same time, I don't really want to deny it to everyone now, ya know?"

Even as her blush darkened, Hinata smiled happily at the boy, especially noting that he said "when" rather than "if", and she replied, "Aw, that's s-so sweet of you, N-Naruto." Giggling at his blush, she told him, "I say w-we just l-let everyone think w-what they want. Th-The only one I'm worried a-about is my f-father."

"Right. But we'll take care of that after school," he assured her. "For now," he paused to hold open the door for her, "we should just get our schedules and get through the day."

"Y-Yup. And I h-hope we have the same c-classes together."

"We should. When I registered for school sometime last week, I asked if I could have the same schedule as you so you could show me around," Naruto grinned at his blue-haired friend.

"R-Really?" Hinata smiled happily. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

The blonde shrugged. "Eh, I kinda forgot. I tend to mind-dump anything and everything that has to do with school, ya know. Probably why I suck at it. Hehe."

They shared a laugh as they walked to the principal's office, ignoring the whispers from the other students that Naruto didn't need his enhanced hearing to know they were about him and his blue-haired friend.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Minutes later, Naruto and Hinata were sitting in their first class together. The bell had rung, but the teacher was nowhere in sight. And there were only three students in the room—Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura.

When the blonde hero had inquired about this, Sakura, who was wearing a red T-shirt and black shorts and sitting in the desk in front of Hinata, answered him before Hinata could. "Oh, this is normal for Kakashi-sensei. He'll show up about ten minutes before the bell rings for our next class," she explained with a frustrated sigh.

"Seriously?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"Yup," the pinkette replied, folding her arms and leaning back in her chair. "In fact, I'm pretty sure that's why they made Study Hall the first hour class for everyone. I heard from some older students that Kakashi-sensei has always been late for the first hour class, so they had to make that time be something pointless for the teachers so they didn't have to fire him. Still, it's so irresponsible of him to be so late!"

"Sakura, maybe there's something Kakashi-sensei has to do every morning that we don't know anything about," Hinata suggested, giving her teacher the benefit of the doubt.

Her pink-haired friend just scoffed, though. "Then he shouldn't be a teacher! They're supposed to teach us responsibility, and he's not doing a good job there!"

Naruto chuckled, earning himself a glare from Sakura, and he smiled to placate her as he said, "Well, it's just Study Hall, right? At least this way we can do whatever we want without a teacher breathing down our necks, ya know?"

Sakura seemed to consider the whisker-faced boy's words for a moment before responding with, "Yeah, I guess I can't argue with that." Then she turned around to better see Naruto and Hinata. "By the way, you guys, I'm really sorry about Ino spreading that rumor. I tried to stop her, but when she hears something she considers to be good gossip, there's really no stopping her mouth."

"I heard that, Billboard Brow!" Ino, dressed in a purple blouse and blue-jeans, shouted from the doorway.

"Of course you did, Ino-pig! You hear everything you're not supposed to and then some!" Sakura yelled back at her platinum-blonde friend, who was walking toward her.

"I didn't see you complaining when I caught that bit of gossip about Sasuke liking you and spread it around, Forehead!" Ino practically screamed as she got in Sakura's face.

"Yeah?! Well, considering how that ended up, I wish you'd kept your big mouth shut, Porker!" the pinkette screamed right back.

"Girls! Girls! You're both pretty!" Naruto interjected with a nervous laugh in an attempt to make the horrible screaming stop. Sometimes better-than-average hearing can really suck.

Both girls turned and glared at him angrily, but before they could start shouting at him, Hinata came to his rescue. "Please, guys, don't fight! It's only the first day!" she pleaded, and Naruto was beyond grateful for the Hyuuga girl's ability to say what she needed to without resorting to an insane volume.

Ino and Sakura looked at Hinata for a second before glancing at each other and then turning their backs on each other with a huff. The blonde girl then sat in the desk behind Naruto. The young hero and Hyuuga heiress sighed in relief until...

"So how have you been, cutie?" Ino said sweetly as she leaned over with her elbows on her desk and her hands supporting her head.

Naruto sat up and turned enough in his seat to look back at Ino. "Who, me?" he asked, hoping it somehow wasn't him who she was talking to, but knowing the girl wouldn't say something like that to Hinata and definitely not Sakura. And unfortunately, they were the only other people in the room.

"Of course you, silly!" Ino giggled at him. "You _are_ the cutest one in the room besides me after all!"

The boy sweat-dropped, although he was still mildly flattered—he was a normal teenage guy after all, and she was a pretty girl. But Hinata was prettier, and seeing her frown, Naruto said, "Well, uh, thanks I guess, Ino. But even if we're the _cutest_ in the room, we're not the most _attractive_, ya know."

Upon hearing that, all three girls looked at him, and Ino asked, "What do you mean, Naruto? Who's the most attractive then?"

"Hinata obviously!" the boy declared while grinning foxily at the aforementioned girl, who was blushing darkly.

Only momentarily fazed, Ino quickly recovered and smiled slyly. "Oh really? So my little rumor about you two is true then, huh?"

But Naruto was prepared for that. "That Hinata and I are dating? No, that's not true. Yet." He gave Ino a pointed look. "But I've already told you that I like her, so I'm not quite sure why you're still flirting with me."

Ino sat back in her seat and shrugged with her hands up at either side of her with her palms facing upward. "What can I say, Naruto? You're a good-looking guy. Can't blame a girl for trying."

"Troublesome woman," Naruto heard a male voice say from behind him before he could respond to Ino. Turning to the source, the whisker-faced hero saw a boy with brown hair tied in a gravity-defying, pineapple-looking ponytail, and he was wearing a gray shirt with a light blue, short-sleeved jacket over it and light brown jeans, which he currently had his hands stuffed into the pockets. Standing next to him was a heavy-set boy with brown, spiky hair that reached his mid-back, and there was a red swirl tattoo on each of his cheeks. He wore a red T-shirt with the kanji for "food" on the front and gray pants and was snacking on a bag of chips.

"Haven't you caused Hinata and the new kid enough problems with that troublesome rumor you started?" the ponytailed boy said to the platinum blonde.

"Oh, shut up, Shikamaru," Ino grumbled at him while crossing her arms. "That rumor hasn't done anything to them."

"Yet," Shikamaru retorted with a meaningful look which made Ino pout as she turned her face away from him. The boy then moved his attention to Naruto and held out his hand. "Name's Shikamaru, and this is my friend Choji. Sorry about the trouble our friend Ino caused."

The blonde boy shook the offered hand and then shook Choji's hand as well. "Nice to meet you guys. I'm Naruto. And don't worry about it. Hinata and I don't care about some rumor."

Shikamaru nodded as he sat in the seat next to Naruto, and Choji sat behind Shikamaru. "That's good to hear," the ponytailed boy began. "But you know about her cousin Neji, right? He won't be too happy if he thinks this rumor's true."

"Ah, I'm not worried about him," Naruto replied with a dismissive wave of his hand, which made Shikamaru raise an eyebrow.

"If you say so," he said skeptically, and the blonde boy next to him just smirked in response.

Looking to change the subject, Choji spoke up. "So, Naruto. How're you liking Konoha so far?"

Grinning, the young hero answered, "Are you kidding? This place is great! So much better than the stupid small town I came from! Lots more to do, an excellent ramen shop, and the best part of it all is the greatest girl ever lives here!"

Hinata blushed at that last comment while Shikamaru, Sakura, and Ino smirked knowingly. "Oh really? Don't tell me Ino's flirting succeeded in distorting your sense of reality," Shikamaru joked.

But Naruto didn't quite catch that he was joking and protested, "No! I was talking about Hinata!" And of course, such an open declaration in front of four other people caused the poor Hyuuga girl to go out like a light. The blonde-haired boy had turned to face the bluenette just in time to see her slump down on her desk in an unconscious heap. "Ah, man!" the boy pouted.

The rest of them sweat-dropped, and Shikamaru face-palmed as well. "Troublesome," he grumbled.

"I thought she got over her fainting habit," Sakura commented as she turned in her seat and adjusted Hinata to be in a more comfortable position.

"This is the third time since I've met her that she's fainted," Naruto told them bluntly.

Sakura blinked at him. "You kept count?"

"Well, it's not like it was hard. I might suck at math, but I can count to three, ya know!" Naruto huffed a little indignantly.

Ino giggled behind him. "Naruto, I don't think Forehead was insulting you. We didn't know you suck at math. I think she was just wondering why you'd kept count at all."

"Oh...right," Naruto sweat-dropped. Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, he attempted to divert attention away from himself by asking, "So how often does she normally do this anyway?"

"Honestly? She hasn't fainted in a couple of years. At least not that we've seen," Sakura answered.

"Yeah, I think the last time I saw her faint was when we were thirteen. I made some comment about a guy checking her out while we were at the pool, and when she saw that he was, that was it," Ino added with a giggle.

"If I remember right, she nearly drowned because she was in the water at the time," Shikamaru recalled matter-of-factly.

"Mm," Ino hummed with a nod. "I think that was when she started getting over that fainting habit."

"Almost drowning will do that to you," Choji threw in.

Naruto didn't like hearing about some guy checking out Hinata, and he liked even less hearing about how she almost drowned because of her tendency to faint. _"I need to watch what I say and do. I don't want her fainting at a bad time like that, especially because I did something careless,"_ he thought to himself, but otherwise said nothing.

Eventually, the conversation moved on when Choji asked Naruto about that ramen restaurant he mentioned, and the blonde hero found out the heavy-set boy enjoyed eating there too. When he wasn't eating at his family's restaurant, that is, and that's how Naruto found out Choji's family owned their own restaurant Yakiniku Q.

From there, Naruto learned about the rest of the people sitting around him—Shikamaru's family were caretakers of a large section of the forest surrounding Konoha, Ino's family owned a flower shop while her dad also worked as a psychiatrist, and Sakura's dad was a businessman while her mother worked as a nurse in the hospital. In return, Naruto told his new friends about his own family and explained—when asked if his whisker-marks were family tattoos like the Inuzuka red fangs or the Akimichi swirls—that they were strange birthmarks.

By the time he was asked about his whisker-marks, Hinata had woken up and found Kiba sitting behind her and Shino was on her other side. And Naruto, catching the bluenette's eye as he said they were birthmarks, remembered again about Hinata saying she could tell when someone's lying.

_"What is it about that that keeps bugging me?!"_ Naruto screamed mentally in frustration.

Before he could dwell on it much longer, however, the rest of the class drifted in followed by their teacher, a man with gravity-defying, silver hair that hid his left eye completely from view. He wore a white facemask that covered the entire lower half of his face including his nose, a white shirt, and a black tie with matching pants. Naruto thought the mask odd, but decided he'd ask Hinata about it later if he remembered to.

"Good morning, class," the teacher said lazily as he put his briefcase on his desk.

"Good morning, Kakashi-sensei," the class echoed mechanically in response.

"I trust you all had a good summer?" Kakashi asked and received a few nods or murmurs in the affirmative. "Good. Now, I believe we have a new student joining us this year." He looked at Naruto and gestured to the boy. "If you would, please, come up here and introduce yourself?"

"Sure!" Naruto replied cheerfully, rising from his seat. He made his way to the front of the class and faced his peers.

"Okay, please tell us your name and a little about yourself," Kakashi instructed.

"Um, alright, but like what?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, such as what are your likes, what are your dislikes, do you have any goals for the future... That sort of thing," the teacher answered in the same lazy tone.

"Ah! Okay!" Naruto nodded with a grin and looked back at his classmates. "Well, first off, my name is Naruto Namikaze! I like ramen, video games, and my new best friend Hinata! I dislike arrogant jerks and people who judge others based on appearances. My goal is..." he paused to think for a moment, glancing at Hinata as he did so, and continued, "to protect every person I care about and always help them when they need it!"

A few giggled at his odd-sounding goal or at his blatant declaration of affection for Hinata, and some just rolled their eyes at him. But there were a few—namely the friends he made prior to the beginning of class as well as Hinata—who smiled at him encouragingly. And as far as Naruto was concerned, they were the only people who mattered, especially Hinata.

"Well, that's rather interesting, Naruto," Kakashi said simply. He wasn't being sarcastic, but the boy's goal did surprise him a bit. _"He seems quite different from most of the other students,"_ he mused. But then suddenly, he remembered something that made his visible eye widen, and slightly yelling, "Wait, Naruto!" he stopped Naruto in his tracks before the young hero had made even three steps away from the teacher's desk.

Turning around, Naruto asked, "What's wrong, Kakashi-sensei?" and he was a little frightened by the intense gaze the teacher was leveling at him.

"Did you say your last name is Namikaze?" Kakashi inquired in a deceptively calm voice.

"Uh...yeah? Why, what are you—"

Naruto was cut off by Kakashi suddenly standing right in front of him. _"When did he move?!"_

"You wouldn't happen to be related to Jiraiya Namikaze by any chance, would you?" Kakashi asked while leering over the poor boy with a disturbing gleam in his eye.

The young hero cringed, leaning back a bit to create some distance, and his classmates, especially Hinata, were getting a little concerned about what their teacher was doing. "Um, y-y-yeah. H-He's my g-grandpa," Naruto stuttered out in true Nervous Hinata fashion.

"His grandson, eh?" Kakashi mumbled almost inaudibly before suddenly gripping the boy's shoulders and practically shouting, "So you have access to his latest work! You must tell me how the next story goes! When is it coming out?! Can you get me an advanced copy?!" He shook Naruto a little with each question, dazing the poor boy to the point there were virtually swirls in his eyes.

Recovering quickly, Naruto's eye twitched, and he yelled, "You actually read that perverted crap?!"

"'Perverted'?" Kakashi repeated questioningly as he released the boy. Pulling a copy of Icha Icha Paradise out of his pocket, he held it in both hands in front of himself, and with a gleeful, yet scary light in his eye, he proclaimed, "These wonderful masterpieces of literature are far more than a collection of sensual sex scenes! Why, they each have a gripping storyline that keeps their readers on the edge of their seats, always wanting to know more! They're filled with action, romance, suspense—"

"It's just porn with a story!" the blonde boy cut in, waving his arms angrily. "You wanna get the next pervy book from my grandpa, ask him yourself!"

Kakashi adopted a thoughtful expression with his left elbow in his right hand and his left hand rubbing his chin. "Very well, Naruto. Tell your grandparents I want to meet with them tomorrow after school."

"Ugh...Fine," Naruto groaned. He was about to ask if he could return to his seat when the bell rang, and his classmates started making their way out of the room. Some of them chuckled at the poor blonde's expense.

Hinata, however, walked up to him with an encouraging smile. Taking his hand, she asked, "Shall we go to our next class?"

Naruto nodded with a foxy grin on his face.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

After a short stop to their lockers, the would-be couple made their way down the hall to their next class, which was history, and as Naruto was about to enter the classroom, he was roughly shoved out of the way. The suddenness of the action caught the hero completely off guard, causing him to land on the floor despite all his superhuman abilities.

"Out of my way, dobe," said the offending person impassively.

Hinata helped Naruto up off the floor while he glared at the person who shoved him and ignored the other students staring—some snickering—at him. He mumbled out a "Thanks" to the bluenette just before he marched into the room and up to the rude person.

Said person had black hair that stuck out straight out toward the back of his head while his bangs framed his face. He had black eyes, pale skin, and wore a black T-shirt and black pants. The blonde hero also noticed pretty much every girl except for Hinata was sitting around the boy and staring at him like a bunch of swooning fangirls.

As Naruto glared down at the boy, he thought, _"Wonder if he's got enough black going on."_

"What do you want, dobe?" the black-haired boy asked curtly.

"To know why you're such a rude ass, teme," Naruto retorted.

With a derisive scoff, the other boy growled, "Get out of my face, dobe, before I have to show you firsthand why no one here messes with me."

"Ooooo! I'm really shaking now!" the blonde shot back sarcastically and mock shivered.

The dark-eyed boy stood up from his seat, and Hinata came up behind Naruto and quickly grabbed his arm. "N-Naruto, l-let's just take our seats, okay? Y-You don't want to get in a fight your first day."

The hero looked back at the indigo-haired beauty, and her lavender gaze managed to calm him down. He smiled at her and said, "Yeah, you're right, Nata."

"Hmph. Have to be saved by your woman, huh? What a loser!" the rude boy gave Naruto a smug smirk.

"Listen here, teme. I'll take your ass on any time. You'd have to actually be a threat in order for anyone to have to save me from you," Naruto growled. Then he added with a smirk of his own, "And ya know, it's lucky for you all these girls like you 'cause I know any other guy wouldn't get away with a sexist comment like what you just said." And with that, he took Hinata's hand and led her over to the other side of the room where they sat next to each other.

"Whatever," the raven-haired young man grumbled as he sat back down in his seat. His fangirls glared at Naruto briefly before they turned all their attention back on their dark prince.

"Who the heck is that guy?" the hero asked his blue-haired friend in a low voice.

Hinata sighed. "That's Sasuke Uchiha. He's kind of the most popular guy in school. He's also Sakura's ex-boyfriend."

"Huh. Gotta wonder why so many girls would flock to such a jerk," Naruto remarked with a glare in Sasuke's direction.

"Indeed," Hinata replied solemnly. "And Sakura's still in love with him too."

"Why?" the blonde asked, turning back to look at her.

The Hyuuga heiress shrugged. "I have no idea. Their relationship is basically they get together, date for a couple of weeks, he tells her she's annoying, they have a huge fight, break up, then sometime later they get together again, and repeat. I've asked Sakura why she keeps going through this pattern with him, especially when her biggest complaint is how emotionally distant he can be, but she never really answers me."

"Wow. That's just..." Naruto trailed off with a hand over his face.

"Stupid?" Hinata suggested as an end to his statement, and he nodded.

While Hinata was telling Naruto about Sakura and Sasuke's relationship, the teacher was walking back into the room. The tan-skinned man with his brown hair tied up in a ponytail, a scar that went across the bridge of his nose, and dressed in a long-sleeved, blue shirt with black slacks had stepped out at the end of the Study Hall hour to get a cup of coffee from the teacher's lounge. And when he came back into the room, he stopped in surprise upon seeing the spiky, blonde hair of Konoha High's newest student.

_"It can't be him, can it?"_ the man wondered as he made his way to his desk while still staring at the student in question. Catching sight of the teenager's blue eyes, the teacher thought, _"Definitely looks like him, but the whisker-marks are new..."_

Just as he was about to say something to the student, the boy glanced in his direction and did a double-take before jumping up from his desk, shouting, "Iruka-sensei?! Is that you?!"

_"Yup, it's him,"_ the teacher thought with a chuckle at the blonde boy's exuberant reaction. "Good to see you again, Naruto," he said warmly while putting down his coffee and walking around the desk. "I almost didn't recognize you."

Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I kinda grew a bit since I last saw you, huh?"

Leaning against his desk, Iruka let out a big laugh and said, "'A bit'?! I'll say! You were the shortest one out of all your classmates! A shrimp!"

"Hey!" Naruto mock pouted. Then he flexed his right arm with his left hand on his right bicep. "I'm not a shrimp anymore! I grew up big and strong!" He and Iruka both laughed at that.

Hinata watched the exchange between her friend and her teacher along with the other students, and the bluenette couldn't help but notice the way some of the girls were looking at Naruto when their attention was called to his physical appearance. He may have annoyed their precious Sasuke, but none of them could deny the blue-eyed boy was tall and well-built. Not dark and mysterious like the Uchiha, but still handsome in his own right. And the Hyuuga heiress wasn't happy about any possible competition for her blonde hero.

Finally noticing the class was staring, Iruka's laughter died away, and he cleared his throat. "Sorry about that class. I'd like you to meet our new student Naruto Namikaze. I was his teacher several years ago when I worked at Hajime Elementary." Looking at the whisker-faced teen, the teacher told him, "You may sit now, Naruto, but I'd like to catch up with you sometime after school if you have the time."

"Sure! Maybe you can treat me to ramen just like old times!" Naruto suggested with a cheeky grin as he sat back down in his chair.

Iruka shook his head while smiling at Naruto's antics before he launched into the first history lesson of the school year. Meanwhile Hinata whispered to her superhuman friend, asking him about his apparent close relationship with their history teacher. Naruto explained that since he didn't have many friends in school, he would often hang out in the classroom during recess. Playing outside all alone is no fun, after all. And since Naruto's mother worked in the elementary school as well, the boy was familiar with his mother's coworkers, the other teachers. So when little Naruto started third grade—Iruka taught third and fourth grade—he already knew Iruka a little bit, and as soon as the young teacher asked the boy why he never went outside to play with the other kids, Iruka immediately felt a connection to the boy because he was unable to make friends as well when he was a kid.

The two formed a bond based on that common factor, and pretty soon, they were practically brothers. Even after Naruto moved on to the fifth grade, Iruka still received visits from his high-spirited little brother during recess breaks.

Naruto's parents became friends with Iruka as well, grateful that one of their son's teachers took such an interest in their child enough to become his friend when his peers treated him like an outcast. The young teacher became like one of the Namikaze family.

Unfortunately, though, the friendship faded into the background as Naruto moved on to middle school and Iruka got a better teaching job in Konoha. They had kept in touch somewhat, but for the most part the two hadn't talked in quite awhile. And Naruto for one was glad to have his surrogate older brother back, even if he was kind of boring him to tears right now with his lecture. Hinata just smiled at her hero, happy that he was able to reunite with an old friend.

When class was over, Naruto waited for everyone to leave and asked Hinata to wait for him outside the classroom. A thought had occurred to him during the lesson that made it imperative that he speak to Iruka as soon as possible, but all he told his blue-haired friend was that he had to talk with the teacher about something private. Not wanting to pry, Hinata agreed to wait for him and followed the last student out the door.

"Iruka-sensei, I need to talk to you," Naruto said once he and the teacher were alone.

Hearing the serious tone, Iruka replied, "Sure, Naruto. Is something wrong?"

"Well...kinda," the boy began. "See, it's about these marks on my face..."

"Oh yeah. I was going to ask you about them. Are they tattoos?" the teacher inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh, you could say that... But I've been telling everyone they're birthmarks, and since you're the only one who's seen me without them..." he trailed off and shifted his feet awkwardly.

"Ah, I see. You don't want me to mention that to anyone," Iruka stated, and the boy nodded. "Alright, Naruto. I don't quite get why, but I see no reason to tell anyone differently." He smiled kindly and patted his old friend on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei," Naruto returned the smile in gratitude.

"No problem, Naruto. Now you better hurry to your next class!" he advised as his smile turned to a grin.

"Right! See you later, Sensei!" the boy shouted while jogging out the door. He met up with Hinata outside and took her hand as she—with a blush on her face—led him to their next class.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The next two classes proceeded without much incident. Naruto met the science teacher, Anko Mitarashi, a woman with purple hair, a sadistic sense of humor, and a weird obsession with snakes—even for a science teacher—as evidenced by the various displays of taxidermy snakes around the room as well as a couple of live snakes in a cage. And the first time Naruto started to drift off in her class, he was suddenly brought to full attention as a pencil embedded itself point-first next to his head in the desk. Anko-sensei then proceeded to imply with a disturbing smirk that any student sleeping in her class was destined to become snake food when she was done using them for target practice. Considering what she was able to do with that pencil, Naruto didn't doubt her words and vowed to himself to barely even blink in her class.

The following class was language and literature taught by Asuma Sarutobi. Naruto was surprised to learn they were being taught by the son of the Land of Fire's current President, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and even more surprised that the teacher didn't have any bodyguards around him. But Hinata explained that it was because the school was considered relatively safe and that there was a security detail watching the school, especially because the President's grandson attended Konoha Junior High, which was right next door to the high school. The young hero shrugged off his surprise and accepted the explanation.

And in the end, he thought Asuma-sensei was pretty cool. He joked with his students and didn't give too much work on the first day. Naruto's only real complaint was the cigarette smell emanating from the man. It wreaked havoc on the poor boy's enhanced sense of smell. But he did his best to hide his displeasure and decided he'd need to find some way of dealing with the smell before class the next day.

Finally, it was lunch time, and Naruto's stomach growled loudly in anticipation of food. The boy was practically a bottomless pit for food normally, but there was something about waking up early in the morning—which the hero proclaimed was inhuman, cruel, and evil—and then having to work his brain for four hours—also inhuman, cruel, and evil—before getting lunch that made his stomach _especially_ empty. Hinata giggled as Naruto, on their way to the cafeteria, gave her a melodramatic speech about how he just _knew_ his stomach turned into some sort of vacuum and was tearing him apart from the inside.

"Oi, I'm serious, Nata! It's taking all my strength just to make it to the cafeteria!" he exclaimed rather dramatically when she wouldn't stop giggling at him.

"I'm sorry, Naruto!" the heiress said between giggles. "You're just so cute when you're being dramatic!" Instantly, she clapped a hand over her mouth and a huge blush took over her face. She was mortified by what had just slipped out of her mouth.

Meanwhile Naruto blushed slightly at her calling him cute, but that didn't stop a sly grin from appearing on his face. Leaning in close, he told her in a low voice, "And you're just so cute when you're embarrassed." He chuckled at first, and then full-on laughed as Hinata attempted to glare at him. It lasted only a few seconds before she descended into laughter with him.

They reached the cafeteria and got their food, which they were both delighted that the cafeteria was serving zenzai that day, and they were even happier to find out that they both considered zenzai to be their second favorite food. Naruto and Hinata could only smile at finding yet another similarity between them.

The would-be couple decided to take their lunch outside to the schoolyard where most of the other kids went to eat during nice-weather days like today, and they sat next to each other at a picnic table. Sakura, Ino, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, and Choji soon joined Naruto and Hinata as well.

It was a rather pleasant lunch period. Naruto talked with his new friends and really felt accepted by them, and for someone who spent most of his life being treated like an outcast by his peers because they considered him weird and a troublemaker, the feeling of finally having friends was indescribable. The blonde teen looked at the blue-haired heiress beside him and smiled happily.

_"It's all thanks to her. If I hadn't become friends with Hinata, I probably would've ended up with the same reputation here that I had in Hajime,"_ Naruto thought to himself while he continued to smile at Hinata. _"I would've resorted to my usual habits of pranking, and most likely would've been thought of as a weirdo as well. They might've accepted me eventually, but Hinata made it happen sooner. And she was the first to accept me. She really is my best friend." _His thoughts led him to impulsively throw an arm around Hinata, and he gave her a quick hug. The other two girls at the table 'aww'd' at the sudden action while the guys either rolled their eyes or chuckled—or in Shino's case, raised an eyebrow. Hinata, while blushing, asked if Naruto was all right, and the boy in question just laughed it off and said he was just having a really good first day of school. They all saw the pink tinge on his face, though, that told them it was a bit more than that.

But nobody pressed him about it, and everyone continued to eat their lunch in peace. That is until a shout ripped through the pleasant scene, and recognizing the voice, Naruto groaned in irritation.

"NAMIKAZE!"

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

And done!

This one got away from me a bit. I'll have to continue the day in the next chapter. Hope you all enjoyed this first part, though. And before anyone asks, yes, I replaced "Hokage" with "President". Since this is an AU without chakra and where ninjas were a thing of the far distant past (more of a myth than anything), I couldn't find a logical reason to have the leader of the Land of Fire have the title that means Fire Shadow. Just didn't quite make sense for a modern-world-type setting, but maybe some of you disagree. Meh. If it helps, Hiruzen is still essentially Hokage when it comes to what political/military power he has. Basically, like the Hokage, each President of the Land of Fire is chosen by their predecessor and voted in by the Civilian Council and the top commanders in the military. The President has absolute authority once voted in, though. Make sense? Hope so. I'm not one for government and political crap. If it doesn't make sense now, perhaps it will in the story as we go along. *shrug*

And what I said about the Last Uchiha being humorous? Yeah, it might take a few chapters. Gotta build up the relationship between him and Naruto before the real trolling fun to begin. :P

Now, I have an art challenge for any of you who enjoy drawing and would like a small project. I would very much like a cover picture for each of my stories here on FF dot net and would be ever so grateful to any of you willing to give it a shot. Just show it to me on Deviant Art—my name's the same there as it is here. I don't really have anything to offer in return other than crediting you for the picture...well, I guess I could take a request for an omake or something if any of you would accept something to read in exchange for a picture. But know that I do not write lemons, anything yoai/yuri, or where Naruto is paired with someone other than Hinata. Those things just aren't me. I'd draw the pictures myself, but I have a really hard time finding the motivation necessary to draw anything. And **p13600d**, I'm really sorry, dude. I will get around to drawing that cover picture for your newest story eventually. Like I said, though, it takes _a lot_ of motivation for me to draw anything. It will get done eventually!

So yeah. If any of you wants to be super special awesome, show me what you can draw for any of my stories and let me know on Deviant Art. :)

And now, I'm gonna end with a grammar joke just because I want to. XD

What's the difference between a cat and a comma?

One has claws at the end of its paws, and one is a pause at the end of a clause.

Hahahaha! Until next time! ^_^ And in the future, I'm never giving myself a deadline again! Caused me to procrastinate... -.-'


	8. A Lesson Learned

Moh... No one even considered my drawing challenge? Sad times. But I won't hold it against you guys and, say, hold off on updating this story until someone sends me a picture for a cover for each story. Nah. I won't do that to you guys. :P

I'll just keep having fun with the lame puns at the end of each chapter instead. Mwahahahaha! XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would've stopped the horribly inane pairing war by now by making Naruto _at least_ think about his feelings towards Hinata and Sakura. (*cough* anditwouldendNaruHina *cough*) Seriously, I know there's a war and epic battle going on now, but there were a number of opportunities where Kishi could've inserted something that was concrete evidence of one pairing or another. This pairing war is such a waste of time; each side keeps bringing up stuff from the manga, and each piece of "evidence" is subject to conjecture. Unless Naruto says "I love you" and/or kisses one girl or the other, there's nothing solid. As much as I'd like there to be irrefutable evidence of NaruHina, I begrudgingly have to admit there isn't any. Yet. And thankfully, there's none for NaruSaku either (and there better not be, Kishi!). *sigh* Anyway, I'm done ranting now...

On with the chapter!

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Naruto turned to his right to see Neji stomping toward him, and he could feel Hinata shrink down behind him while the rest of his new friends all fell silent as they watched the Hyuuga boy approach. Neji stopped in front of the blonde hero and gave him his best Hyuuga Glare, which would've been intimidating to any normal person.

But Naruto was no longer normal.

Cocking an eyebrow, the whisker-faced boy asked, "Something wrong, Neji?"

The Hyuuga Branch member crossed his arms while maintaining his glare. "I have told you to stay away from Lady Hinata, and now I find out that you are dating her without Lord Hiashi's permission. My duty demands I deal with you accordingly."

"I see," Naruto said calmly. He could've told Neji it was just a rumor that wasn't true, but in all honesty, Naruto was looking for an excuse to fight the Hyuuga and was beyond confident that he could beat him. He stood up from the table. "And how exactly are you gonna do that?"

The hero had expected a long-winded threat or even an 'I'll show you how!' declaration before an attack, but no. Neji just attacked. Two short jabs to Naruto's shoulder followed by a harder punch to the hero's gut, which knocked him back a few steps where he sunk down to one knee.

Naruto knelt on the ground holding his stomach with his left hand—his entire right arm was numb. _"Must be what the Gentle Fist does. Should've asked Nata about it earlier,"_ he thought ruefully while looking up at Neji, who was in his stance as he waited for the blonde to either concede or retaliate. Naruto's friends were looking on in a stunned silence, and Hinata seemed close to tears. With a groan, the hero stood back up and managed to shake some of the feeling back into his arm. He let out a dry laugh and said to Neji, "Ya know, it's funny how the two times you've hit me so far, they've been sucker punches. Is that the only way you can hit someone?"

The Hyuuga boy gritted his teeth at the verbal jab. "If you want to find out so bad, prepare to defend yourself!"

Naruto took his own stance as Neji charged, and the blonde managed to land a solid punch to the Hyuuga's face. However, Naruto was holding back, knowing that using his superhuman abilities on a normal person would be a bad move for more than one reason, and therein lay his fatal mistake. The hero had underestimated Neji and held back too much. The Hyuuga easily recovered from the punch and he spun around Naruto's still outstretched arm and landed three precise, hard strikes in just the right places to disable the extended arm. Then without stopping, the Hyuuga flowed around behind Naruto and delivered several more jabs to his back, each one striking a nerve or pressure point, causing the hero to lose the use of his other arm along with his ability to stand. As Naruto fell forward to the ground, Neji gave one final strike—a knife-chop to the neck.

As the hero's consciousness faded, he vaguely heard an angelic voice cry, "Naruto!"

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

As the inky blackness began to fade from his mind, Naruto found himself watching a memory from the day after he and his grandparents had dinner with Hinata and her family.

_Kurama was sitting on Naruto's bed, watching his human partner play a video game and listening to the events that happened during the dinner with the Hyuugas. The fox found the entire affair interesting and was especially amused by Neji's attempt to fight Naruto._

_He had chuckled at that until the boy said, "Yeah, I know! As if he or anyone else could take me!"_

_The arrogance of the statement stopped Kurama mid-laugh, and he considered the boy for a moment. The fox couldn't deny that he—as a mutant, abnormally strong, self-aware fox capable of mild shape-shifting—had a tendency to think himself above others as well. But to hear his human partner share the same arrogant attitude, made Kurama reconsider that point of view._

_"Naruto," he began, and the boy looked at him. He only called him by his name and not 'Kit' if it was really serious. "You should never underestimate any potential adversary."_

_The blonde made a face at the advice and argued, "But Neji's still a normal person. I think it's pretty safe to say I can beat him with one hand tied behind my back."_

_"In terms of strength, I'm inclined to agree with you," the fox conceded, and Naruto smiled, thinking he'd won the short argument. "However," the boy looked back at Kurama, "everyone has their secrets and special abilities. This Neji could have some advantage that would make him able to defeat you."_

_"Yeah, yeah," Naruto brushed off Kurama's words and turned back to his game. "I could kick his ass blindfolded."_

_The fox sighed. "If you say so."_

The memory faded.

_"...Should've listened to Kurama..."_ the hero grumbled mentally as he started to awaken. _"I really hate it when that furball is right about something!" _He opened his eyes and let out a groan and found himself on a bed in the infirmary with a worried Hinata sitting in a chair by the bed. The school nurse seemed to be out of the room for a moment, leaving the two teens alone. "Ugh. What happened?" Naruto groaned again as he sat up slowly.

"Neji-nii-san...knocked you out," Hinata said quietly, averting her gaze to the floor.

Naruto already knew that, but he still grimaced at the fact that he lost to such an arrogant jerk. However, he ruefully accepted it as his punishment for not heeding Kurama's advice about not underestimating anyone. He was about to say something to his blue-haired friend, but she beat him to it.

"I'm so s-sorry, Naruto!" He was confused. Why was she apologizing to him? He was the one who failed to stand up to her jerk cousin for her! But again, she was saying more before he could respond. "Y-You probably don't w-want to be my f-friend anymore. I k-keep causing you problems." Tears were running down her face, and she was starting to sob.

The hero was shocked, and the sight of her crying gripped his heart painfully. _"Why does she blame herself?"_ he wondered as he tried to find his voice. Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he sat directly in front of her and reached over to lift her face up with a gentle hand under her chin. "Nata, why do you assume I blame you for this? Why do you think I would stop being your friend?"

Her lip quivered and more tears spilled from her eyes, but she held his gaze as she cried, "B-Because N-Neji is m-my cousin, a-a-and he's at-t-tacked you twice now..." She let out a few hiccupping sobs and added, "I'm such a f-f-failure! Y-You keep having to d-defend me, and I-I can't do anything for you! M-My f-family is r-right. I'm j-just a f-failure!" Her eyes squeezed shut, and she was sobbing uncontrollably. Naruto, even with just the short time she's known him, had become the best friend she'd ever had. Kiba and Shino may have been like brothers to her, but Naruto was more accepting of her nerdiness than Kiba, who enjoyed teasing her about it, ever was, and one could only get so close to the seemingly emotionless Shino. And there was an inexplicable feeling of closeness with Naruto. She felt a connection to him that made her feel like she'd known him all her life.

Naruto made Hinata feel like there was nothing wrong with her. He acknowledged that she was different—that she was weird—and he _liked _it. It wasn't just how a friend likes something about their friend—he was attracted to that aspect of her. And not only that, he had saved her before he even knew her, and then later risked his life twice to save her from a monster. The second time was her own fault too because she had come back to the fight when he told her to stay away. He accepted her, was attracted to her, and worried more about her safety than his own.

And she felt completely unworthy of it all.

Neji, her cousin, was so hostile to Naruto, and now he not only attacked her blonde hero, he defeated him. Humiliated him. And she had just sat there and watched. She felt like a coward—a failure—and she was certain the boy who had so quickly become her best friend must hate her now.

Her weeping was abruptly cut off, however, when Naruto grabbed her shoulders. He was holding her tight enough to catch her attention and make her look at him, but not so tight that he was hurting her. She was surprised by the action, but the hard look in those blue eyes was what really caught her off guard. She tried to prepare herself for the angry rejection she knew was coming.

"Nata," Naruto began in a tone that was almost a growl and progressed into a shout as he continued, "I don't _ever_ want to hear you call yourself a failure _ever again!_ You are my friend! My best friend! You've helped me in ways I can't even begin to describe! And no one—_no one_—not even your supreme ass of a cousin, is going to make me stop being your friend!" He looked into her teary, shocked, lavender eyes, and his own gaze softened. Relaxing his grip on her shoulders—but not letting go—he told her in a quieter voice, "Please don't ever blame yourself, Nata. And you're not a failure. Why would you even think that?"

"Th-That's what my f-father and the elders of my family say b-because they th-think I'm too quiet and k-kind, and that m-makes me too w-weak to be the n-n-next head of the family," the distraught bluenette managed to explain through a few more sobs. "A-And I'm not v-very good at the Gentle Fist l-like t-t-tradition demands, a-and all I d-do is w-waste my time with gadgets, and—"

"Nata," Naruto interrupted her softly. "You are NOT weak!" It wasn't a shout; it was a quiet, but stern, statement. "Being kind is not a weakness. Heck, I think it takes more strength to be nice to people all the time, especially the ones who are assholes to you! And that makes you WAY stronger than me because you're nice to jerks like Neji!"

_"I'm stronger than Naruto?"_ Hinata thought in shock as she blushed and looked down again. "R-Really, N-Naruto?"

He moved his hands from her shoulders to either side of her head, and with his thumbs under her chin, he gently made her look up at him again. "Yes, Hinata. Really. You don't have to keep asking me if I'm telling you the truth, ya know. I stand by what I say, and I never go back on my word. Besides, you said you can tell if I'm lying," he grinned even as that statement caused that nagging feeling to start up again. "You're not weak. You're not a failure. You are a great girl with a kind heart, and you're weird in the greatest way. You're also my best friend, and nothing will ever change that."

More tears welled up in Hinata's eyes, but this time they were of happiness. He wasn't rejecting her after all! He still wanted to be friends! And he thought she was strong! She launched herself forward into Naruto's arms, wrapping her own around him tightly while sobbing incoherently into his chest. She was trying to get out a thank you, but her ability to speak wasn't working at the moment. Naruto understood the sentiment, though, and embraced the heiress softly, running a hand through her hair to soothe her.

_"If there's one thing I can thank all those years without a real friend for, it's that they taught me how to truly appreciate that friend now that I've found her," _the hero thought as he rested his head on top of hers and breathed in her lavender and cinnamon scent.

It took several minutes, but eventually Hinata's crying decreased to a few sniffles. Still holding her, the boy let out a dry chuckle and said, "Ya know, to be honest, I thought you wouldn't want any more to do with me since Neji kicked my ass..."

Without moving her face from his chest, Hinata asked, "Why would you think that?" She noted briefly that her stutter seemed to have worked itself out along with her emotional release. At least for the time being.

Naruto sighed. "Because I failed to stand up to him. I made a stupid mistake and underestimated him. I guess I just kinda figured you'd be embarrassed to be seen with me after being beaten so easily..."

Hinata sat up just enough to look at his whiskered face and gave him what he thought was the cutest frown. "Naruto, you didn't embarrass me! I was just worried about you. Our other friends were too... Kiba and Choji were the ones who carried you in here, but everyone else followed us. The only reason they didn't stay was because the nurse wouldn't let them." She laid her head on his chest again. "But I'm not ashamed of you for losing. I'm not ashamed of you at all."

Naruto gently pushed her away just enough to see her face again, and he wiped away the tears still on her cheeks and under her eyes with his hand. "Thanks, Nata. And I won't make the same mistake again! I will definitely beat Neji next time!"

The bluenette gave him a little smile in response as she sat back in her chair, but frowned again when she saw the whisker-faced boy's shirt. "Oh, I'm sorry, Naruto. I got your shirt all wet..."

He let out a happy laugh and said, "Don't worry about it, Nata! It'll dry eventually, ya know. I just want you to feel better. Do you?"

Her small smile returned as she nodded. "Yes, thank you, Naruto. But are you okay? Neji did knock you out..." She tilted her head with a concerned look. The hero couldn't help but think the expression looked adorable.

"Yeah, I'm fine now." Naruto scratched the back of his head and noticed he didn't even hurt where he'd been struck. _"Thank you, freakish healing ability!"_ he chuckled to himself, and before Hinata could ask, he said, "Should we get going now? I think we've missed enough class. Hehe." He stood up and offered her his hand, which she accepted as she got to her feet as well.

"Yeah. The nurse said she'd give us a pass too once you woke up," the heiress explained as they made their way to the infirmary door that led to the school nurse's office. "And we've only missed about fifteen minutes of our class."

"That's good," Naruto remarked while opening the door for Hinata.

The two friends met with the nurse, who told Naruto that she was glad he woke up soon. She had wanted to call his grandparents and have him taken to the hospital in case he had a concussion, but Hinata had managed to convince the nurse that her blonde friend would be fine, saying that from her own knowledge of their family's fighting style she knew Neji hadn't done any serious damage. And while that was true, Hinata also knew Naruto had been injured worse without the need to go to the hospital, so she knew he was all right now. The nurse still did a quick checkup on the boy anyway just to be sure before she gave him and the bluenette a pass, and finding nothing wrong, she sent the two teens on their way.

As Naruto and Hinata walked down the hall toward their class—taking their time since they were late anyway—the hero grabbed his beautiful friend's hand again and smiled at her. She returned the smile, albeit with a blush, and pleasantly surprised the boy by stepping a bit closer to him and laying her head on his shoulder.

While they walked, a thought occurred to Naruto—something from his and Hinata's conversation in the infirmary that bugged him a little...besides the ever-present nagging from the bit about the bluenette's ability to perceive a lie, that is. "Hey, Nata?" the boy began hesitantly, and the girl in question looked up at him. "Not to ruin the moment or make you upset again or anything, but what was that about your family not liking you messing with gadgets? I thought that was your family's business."

Hinata sighed and rested her head back on the blonde's shoulder. "'An heiress should only be concerned with running the business, not making its products,'" she recited to him before elaborating, "That's what the elders and sometimes my father say to me whenever the subject of my tinkering comes up. They believe what I like to do should be left up to our engineers only, and that I should only focus on the management and finances part of our business because I'm the heiress. If I were like Neji or Hanabi, then it wouldn't be a problem, but..." She trailed off.

Naruto let go of her hand so he could put his arm around her shoulders. "Well, don't let those jerk elders tell you not to do something you like. You have a lot of talent with tech stuff—you shouldn't let that go to waste, ya know."

"I had no intention of stopping," Hinata replied with a giggle. "I enjoy it too much to quit."

Chuckling in return, Naruto asked, "By the way, Nata, did you ever finish that project you were working on this weekend?"

"Yes, I did," she told him with a big smile. It was safe to tell him that much.

"You ever going to tell me what it is?" he inquired good-naturedly.

Hinata hesitated. Naruto may be the superhero she made the kinetic barriers for, but he didn't know that she knew it was him. So she was afraid he'd think she was weird for trying to help the superhero she's only met once. "Um...promise you won't think it's too strange?"

"Of course! Well, I might think it's weird, but good weird!" the blonde chuckled and gave the girl a little squeeze with the arm he still had draped over her.

She giggled briefly then took a deep breath and answered, "I perfected an energy shield technology that my family's company is currently developing for use in the military."

Naruto blinked in surprise before exclaiming, "Wow, really? That sounds awesome, Nata!" Then he asked, "But why would you work on that? Military stuff is supposed to be top-secret-ish, isn't it?"

"Well...yeah," Hinata replied slowly as she tried to work out what she wanted to say, and in the back of her mind, she was vaguely grateful her stutter wasn't returning yet. "But...I needed this project to help someone..."

Naruto glanced sidelong at her with a raised eyebrow. "Really? Who would that be?"

_"You,"_ she wanted to say, but instead, she told him, "Well, you remember the hero who saved me in the mall?"

"Yeah, the Kitsune Ninja, right?" the blonde answered evenly, and the girl nodded. "You made this shield stuff for him?" Naruto asked with a bit of surprise.

"Y-Yeah." Her voice was quiet, and she started fidgeting nervously with her hands. "I wanted to help him since he saved me... He was hurt rather badly during that fight, and besides saving me, he was saving everyone else too. So I just wanted to do something to return the favor..." Mentally, she added, _"And because I know it's you, and even in the short time I've known you, you've been the best friend I've ever had. I want to keep you safe."_

Meanwhile Naruto was trying to think of how to respond to that. _"I'm jealous of my own alter ego. How sad is that?" _he had a mental sigh.

While he was still trying to work out how to respond, Hinata interpreted his silence negatively and said, "I know it's weird. I don't even know how to give him this unless I happened to run into him again. I guess the idea was just stupid..."

"No, it wasn't!" Naruto protested, not wanting his friend to start down the path of self-loathing again. "I think it's cool that you want to help him. If you have the ability to do something, then you should use it!"

Hinata smiled at him. "Thanks, Naruto." He nodded with a foxy grin. Then a brief moment of silence passed before the bluenette 'innocently' asked, "Do you have any idea who he could be?"

Naruto faltered slightly as he walked, which didn't go unnoticed by Hinata, and he objected just a little too loudly and quickly, "N-No! Uh, I mean, how could I? I mean, h-he could be anyone! Um—"

"I was just wondering if you had a guess, Naruto," the heiress interrupted his rambling and gave him a soft smile.

Naruto sweat-dropped and scratched the back of his head. "Uh, yeah. I knew that." He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Really? By your reaction, one would think _you_ were the Kitsune Ninja," she pointed out with a giggle.

He was about to laugh her statement off like the joke he was sure it was meant to be and make up some excuse for his behavior when those same nagging words came rushing back to his mind: "_I c-can tell when someone's lying, Naruto." _And suddenly, it hit him why those words were so important...

_Naruto was in the middle of muttering about cops when Hinata asked, "H-How were you injured anyway, N-Naruto? I d-didn't see you a-around where that m-monster was."_

_The hero stiffened and his blue eyes widened momentarily. He heard Kurama in the bag let out a small yip. __**–Oh sh— –**_

_"Oh, hehe, I got shoved around and trampled on a bit when everyone was running away," Naruto interrupted the fox's near swear with a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his head and winced slightly when his fingers touched the small wound there._

_Hinata was quiet for a second before she asked, "So w-why were you st-still in the building then? Why didn't y-you l-leave with everyone else?"_

_"W-Well, I was kinda injured, ya know? And besides, I still hadn't found Kurama. Couldn't just leave the little guy, and I also didn't know if you, Kiba, or Shino made it out alright," he nervously answered._

_She was quiet again for a moment. "So how d-did you know where I was to c-come get me?"_

_Naruto swallowed. He had a feeling she knew he was lying, and while he hated doing it, he couldn't tell her the truth just yet. "I-I was told by some guy wearing ninja gear that you were waiting for me and where. I had just found Kurama when the guy came up to me."_

_"I s-see," the bluenette simply replied. There was yet again another moment of silence, and it made Naruto even more nervous. But the feeling was banished when Hinata intertwined her fingers with his and stepped closer to lean her head against his shoulder. "I'm g-glad you're safe."_

_He squeezed her hand. "Thanks, Nata. I'm glad you're safe too."_

Naruto's blood felt like it froze in his veins. _"I was lying through my teeth then! And if she can tell when I lie...!"_ he couldn't even finish the thought. Did she really know his secret? If so, why didn't she say anything? What did she think of him now? How could he find out if she really knew? If she didn't and he just asked...

The hero didn't even know he'd been silent for several minutes as his internal dilemma continued. Hinata, for her part, figured that Naruto had been so quiet simply because he was trying to think of what he could say to her last remark that wouldn't be a lie, and she was half-tempted to just come out and tell him she knew his secret. But when she saw the near panic in his blue eyes, she grew worried.

Reaching up to grab the hand of his arm that was still around her, she gave it a squeeze to catch his attention as she asked, "Naruto? Are you okay? We're at our class now."

Shaken out of his thoughts, the blonde replied, "Huh? Yeah! Fine! C'mon, we should get in there before the hour's over!" He took his arm off her, grabbed her hand, and practically dashed inside. Hinata was too surprised to even 'eep!'

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Luckily for the would-be couple, the class was art, and even more fortunate, the teacher was Kurenai Yuhi, a beautiful woman with crimson-colored eyes and black curly hair whom Hinata was rather close to. Kurenai was to Hinata what Iruka was to Naruto, except without the long break in their relationship, and the teacher was rather eager to meet the boy who saved the girl she considered to be like a little sister to her.

Kurenai could see nearly right away why Hinata liked Naruto so much. Saving the heiress from bullies aside, the whisker-faced young man chatted away with the bluenette constantly as they worked on their first art project of the year. He managed to bring Hinata out of her shell in a way Kurenai had never seen before. And besides sharing several interests with the Hyuuga girl, Naruto was also quite generous with his compliments and encouragement for Hinata's work, which served to paradoxically cause the girl to blush and be more confident with what she was doing at the same time.

Lastly, the red-eyed teacher thought it rather mature of the boy for ignoring the whispers, snickers, and petty jabs he was receiving for his defeat against Hinata's cousin Neji. The only thing that managed to rile the blonde was when one student implied that Hinata was pathetic for associating with a loser like him. Kurenai managed to diffuse the situation quickly and chastised both students for their behavior, but on the inside, she was happy that Naruto was the type of guy who could take any insult directed at himself but would not stand any insult directed at someone he cares about.

All in all, the hero made a good first impression on his art teacher, although she did warn Hinata to make sure the bluenette took things slow with her blonde friend. Kurenai could tell something more than a friendship was developing between the two, and she wanted to caution her little sister figure against moving too fast with a guy she just met.

The next class—much to Naruto's dismay—was math taught by Kakashi. Inwardly, the hero was actually somewhat grateful, not that he would admit it, that his frustration for the subject was allowing him to push his worries over whether or not Hinata knew his secret to the back of his mind. He had really struggled with that in art class, although it didn't show, but he really didn't want to dwell on the subject until he had a chance to get Kurama's opinion on the matter.

The subject of math still made the boy consider being slammed into a wall again as more preferable, and Kakashi definitely wasn't making it any better. The silver-haired teacher seemed to take delight in torturing his newest student with the hardest problems, some of which were story problems that involved a person's collection of Icha Icha books in some way or another. Frankly, Naruto was more than a little annoyed by his teacher's trolling and was never happier to go on to the next class.

And what made it even better was that it was the last one for the day.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Naruto entered the boy's locker room to change into the standard uniform for gym class—a white T-shirt and blue shorts—and he was momentarily stopped in his tracks by the many pairs of eyes that suddenly turned their attention to him. One pair was onyx and filled a mixture of smugness and indifference, and another pair was silver, cold, and equally arrogant as the onyx pair. Naruto's own blue eyes returned their stares with an icy glare of his own as he made his way to his gym locker. Slowly, the conversations the other boys were having before his entrance returned, although they were still subdued, and the whisker-faced teen proceeded to change his clothes in silence. Some of the other guys stopped in shock when they saw Naruto's body too. While Neji was a rather strong opponent, a few of the other students had expected Naruto to be some scrawny weakling since he was defeated so quickly. They couldn't help but feel dead wrong in their assumption when they saw his well-defined muscles. His muscles weren't large necessarily; Naruto's build was lean and athletic like Neji's and Sasuke's—strong, but built more for speed. However, Naruto just seemed more, for lack of a better word, _solid_ than Sasuke and Neji. With just one look, the other male teenagers—including Neji—thought there was no way Naruto should've lost so easily to the Hyuuga boy.

A boy who was paler than Sasuke with short, black hair, black eyes, and a smile that was clearly fake approached the blonde boy and said, "Excuse me, are you Naruto?"

The hero glanced at the pale boy and replied, "Yeah."

"The boy who was beaten easily by Neji Hyuuga during lunch?"

"...Yeah," Naruto said again, although slower and with narrowed eyes. "Who are you? And what do you want?"

"My name is Sai, and I was wondering how someone as well-built as yourself could lose a fight so easily. Is it because you lack a dick?" the pale boy asked bluntly.

Naruto made a choking noise as he attempted to yell at Sai but couldn't because of the shock of being asked such a thing. Meanwhile, the other boys in the room burst out laughing—at the blonde's expense and at Sai's behavior, which wasn't unusual to them—except for Sasuke and Neji, who simply smirked in amusement, and Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Shino, and a boy with huge eyebrows and whose black hair looked as if it had been cut in the shape of a bowl. They looked on the scene with differing expressions of disapproval.

His face red with rage, Naruto finally managed to answer, "What is your problem, weirdo?! I lost 'cause I underestimated him! If I fought Neji again, _I would win!_"

"Is that so, Namikaze?" Neji asked smugly with his arms crossed.

Naruto whirled around to face him. "Yeah, it is. I made a stupid mistake and took you too lightly. That will _not_ happen again."

"Hmph. Well, I'd offer to settle things after school, but not only does that seem cliché, it doesn't seem fair to humiliate you twice in one day either," Neji retorted with that same obnoxious smirk still on his face.

"Whatever, Neji. I've got bigger problems than having a rematch with your sorry ass anyway," Naruto shot back, and he began walking toward the door to the gym.

"Like how to keep Lord Hiashi from killing you when you tell him that you're dating his daughter without his permission?"

Naruto paused long enough to answer, "That's just a rumor. Hinata and I are still just friends." He started walking again.

"So not even a loser like you wants to date her. She really is a failure," Neji mocked.

The hero froze, and Shikamaru, who was standing near the doorway, could've sworn that the blonde's eyes flashed red for a second. Fists clenched tightly at his sides, Naruto turned around slowly, and with eyes like blue steel, he glared at Neji.

"Neji," the blonde's tone actually made the Hyuuga shiver, "I would like nothing more right now than to bust your jaw so bad that you can never insult her again. However, I have to talk to Hiashi later today about the rumor, and I think it'd go better if I _didn't_ send his nephew to the hospital first. Consider yourself lucky."

And with that, Naruto left the room.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru grumbled to his best friend when the blonde was gone. "He has to be hiding something."

"Yeah," Choji nodded in agreement. "He seems a lot stronger than he lets on."

Shikamaru shrugged and started to leave the locker room as well. "Indeed. And I _know_ I saw something strange happen with his eyes... But I'd bet the answer is troublesome, and it's too troublesome to find out."

Once out in the gym, Naruto made his way over to some of the girls in his class who were dressed the same as the boys, and he stood a bit apart from them while he waited for Hinata to come out of the girl's locker room. The girls near him were snickering and giggling, and he was sure it was about Neji beating him earlier that day. He rolled his eyes when he considered the double-edge to the situation. On the one hand, his defeat saved him from any unwanted flirtations from the girls, but on the other hand, it was just flat-out humiliating. However much the hero wanted to rectify his mistake with Neji, he knew it wasn't a good time for that just yet.

Naruto was about to sigh in frustration, but a soft hand intertwining its fingers with his own stopped him. He looked over at the hand's owner and smiled happily when he saw his favorite pair of lavender eyes looking back at him.

Finally, all the students were gathered in the gym and waiting for their teacher to show up. Suddenly, Naruto's Instinct told him to duck, which he did without hesitation, and something went sailing over his head, shouting, "DYNAMIC ENTRY!"

Looking up, Naruto made sure Hinata was okay first, and seeing she was, he then looked at what had attempted to attack him. He saw a man with a bowl haircut, massive eyebrows, and dressed the same as the students land easily on his feet from his flying kick. The man turned around as Naruto stood up, and in a rather loud voice, the man declared, "Excellent senses and reaction time, my newest student! Surely your Flames of Youth burn bright!" He stood in a 'Nice Guy' pose, and his teeth shined bright as he grinned.

"Huh?" was all the confused blonde could utter, and all the other students besides the one that closely resembled the man sweat-dropped.

The man stepped toward the hero and announced, "Welcome, my newest student! My name is Might Guy, the Handsome Beast of Konoha, and I am the physical education teacher here at Konoha High! Now, what is your name, my youthful student?"

"Uh...Naruto Namikaze, sir," the blonde answered a little fearfully.

"Namikaze, you say? Then that would make you the grandson of the ever-youthful Dr. Tsunade, the granddaughter of the Shodai President of the Land of Fire!" Guy exclaimed.

"Um, yes, sir. I am and she is."

"No wonder you have such youthful skills then! But I would like to see the full extent of your abilities and train them to their greatest potential!" Guy turned to the rest of the class. "Everyone move to the sidelines! We will be having one-on-one sparring sessions today to start off our new school year!"

The class did as he told them, and Naruto whispered to Hinata while they were moving, "What's with this guy and 'youth'?"

"Nobody knows, Naruto. Nobody knows," she answered sweat-dropping.

"Alright! Now, I want our new student to participate first! Come over here, Naruto!" Guy ordered exuberantly.

Shrugging, Naruto complied. _"Fine with me. I'm feeling the need to kick the crap out of someone anyway."_

"And who should fight him? Let's see..."

While the teacher was thinking, Naruto was mentally chanting, _"Neji or Sasuke. Neji or Sasuke. Neji or Sasuke!"_

"Sasuke Uchiha! You're up!"

_"Yes!" _Naruto cheered in thought.

The raven-haired boy walked forward until he stood opposite his whisker-faced opponent. "Hn. Try to put up more of a fight than you did against the Hyuuga, dobe."

"With pleasure, teme." Naruto tightened his headband and moved into his fighting stance. Sasuke mirrored the last action.

"Now, remember the rules! No hitting between the waist and knee and trying to inflict serious injury on purpose is forbidden! Principal Morino may be lax in his policy about students fighting, but I will not have my gym or the Flames of Youth dishonored by such conduct!" the teacher proclaimed.

"Yes, Guy-sensei!" both opponents responded, and Naruto thought, _"Well, that explains why Neji didn't get in trouble for starting the fight."_

"Good! Begin!"

At their teacher's command, Sasuke charged toward Naruto, who stood his ground waiting for him. The Uchiha threw a right hook, which Naruto easily blocked with his arm, and Sasuke followed up with a quick jab with his left, which Naruto dodged. The Uchiha then tried to kick the blonde in the stomach with his left leg before the blonde could counter, but Naruto simply grabbed his leg with both hands before it made contact, and he swung the Uchiha easily in a circle before letting go. Sasuke landed several feet away, skidding across the floor before stopping. The Uchiha looked up in surprise.

_"How?! Neji practically destroyed him! Was it really because he underestimated him?!"_ the raven-haired boy thought as he picked himself up off the floor. _"Whatever. I am NOT losing to this dobe!"_

Sasuke charged again, and this time Naruto did so too, although at his normal human speed. The two met in the middle of the gym and engaged in a flurry of punches, kicks, leg-sweeps, and grabs. The whole time, Sasuke wasn't landing a single blow anywhere on Naruto except for the blonde's arms and legs, which felt to Sasuke like he was hitting stone or metal. Finally deciding to end the match, Naruto took the first opening he saw to strike the Uchiha across the face with a hard left hook, followed by a punch to the gut with his right, and finished with a leg-sweep that knocked Sasuke on his back. Naruto's fist came down toward Sasuke's face, and stopped just an inch away from striking him. Shocked onyx eyes met hard blue ones, and Might Guy called the match.

"Winner: Naruto Namikaze!"

The gym fell silent, but only for a second as the sound of one pair of hands clapping started. Naruto looked over at his classmates and saw that it was Hinata. A warm feeling sparked in his chest when he considered that his shy friend was the first to celebrate his victory, and the fact that the friends he'd made earlier that day soon joined in could only make him marginally happier.

The other students also joined in seconds later, and a certain pale boy muttered, "Perhaps he's not dickless after all." Those around him did their best to ignore him.

Naruto stood straight from leaning over Sasuke, and he offered his hand to help the Uchiha up. Sasuke, however, sat up and just looked at the blonde's hand with disdain.

"Don't patronize me," Sasuke growled.

"Who's patronizing you, teme? It was a good fight, and I'm just being a good sport to the jerk who shoved me earlier today," Naruto shot back with a grin that didn't match his tone. "Now shut up and just grab my hand already."

In spite of himself, Sasuke did as he was told, and Naruto pulled him to his feet. The Uchiha regarded the whisker-faced guy in front of him for a moment, and in that moment, he realized he had two options: he could be stubborn and hate the guy who beat him, which would gain nothing, or he could accept his defeat and have someone to spar against in the future, which could make him stronger. He chose the second option. "Hn. Guess you're not such a dobe after all."

"Aw, Sasuke. I'm touched," Naruto wiped away a nonexistent tear then laughed.

"Hn," the Uchiha replied with a slightly amused smirk. "Still don't get how you lost to Neji, though."

Naruto shrugged. "Sometimes underestimating your opponent is all it takes."

"Hn."

The Namikaze rolled his eyes at the other boy's tendency to respond in one-syllable grunts.

The two rejoined their classmates, Naruto instantly going over to Hinata and grabbing her hand. The blonde and bluenette smiled at each other before turning their attention back to the sparring matches.

Neji faced the Guy-lookalike, whose name turned out to be Rock Lee, and while the Hyuuga eventually won, Lee gave him a run for his money. Hinata explained to Naruto, though, that Lee considered Neji his 'eternal rival', and thus they sparred against each other all the time.

After Neji and Lee's fight, Kiba kicked the crap out of Sai—and Naruto cheered loudly for that—and then Shino won his fight without hardly having to move, claiming it was because his opponent underestimated him. Naruto found himself sympathizing slightly for the Aburame's opponent. Next up was Shikamaru who immediately forfeited, and the blonde hero face-palmed at his laziness. Choji didn't put up much of a fight either in his spar until his opponent insinuated that he was fat. Then the heavy-set boy proceeded to crush the guy like an empty soda can. Next Ino lost to a girl named Tenten who wore her brown hair in twin buns, and the last match was Hinata versus Sakura.

Neither girl was all that willing to fight—Hinata because she hated being the center of attention, and Sakura because she didn't consider herself much of a fighter. But Naruto encouraged them both to give it their best shot anyway.

Bluenette faced pinkette, and a one-sided fight began. Sakura tried her hardest, but she was clearly not trained as a fighter at all whereas Hinata, untalented as she may have been, was trained. Naruto was hypnotized by Hinata's graceful dance around Sakura. She disabled the pinkette in seconds, but to the hero, it felt like a lot longer as his beautiful friend's elegant moves seemed to slow down time. As soon as the fight was over, though, Naruto snapped out of his trance to cheer for Hinata like no tomorrow, which caused the bluenette to blush so furiously Naruto was afraid she'd faint. But she managed to stay conscious as she focused on the feeling of proud confidence that started to bloom within her.

_"Thank you, Naruto," _Hinata thought happily as she helped Sakura up off the floor.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The school day was finally over, and Naruto and Hinata—dressed in their normal clothes again—were walking back to the Hyuuga mansion, holding hands again. Naruto's new friends had all gone their separate ways, and the blonde had asked Iruka if their ramen reunion could wait until tomorrow. Naruto really wanted to catch-up with his older brother figure, but with having things to discuss with Hiashi and later Kurama as well as the usual mundane task of homework, the hero felt his plate was a bit full for the day. Iruka understood, though, and was absolutely fine with the temporary delay.

As the two walked, Hinata laid her head on Naruto's shoulder again and sighed contently. The blonde chuckled quietly at her action.

"Ya know, Nata, not that I'm complaining, but you having your head on my shoulder isn't going to help us convince your dad that the rumor isn't true," Naruto told her with a smirk.

"Neither is holding hands, but that didn't stop you from grabbing mine, did it?" the bluenette retorted while looking up at him with her own smirk.

"Hahaha! Touché," the hero laughed, and rather than let go of her hand, he gave it a squeeze.

Hinata rested her head back on his shoulder. "It's not like we're near my house yet anyway."

"Yup!" Naruto grinned.

When they did reach her house, however, Naruto and Hinata reluctantly let go of each other's hand and stepped a little apart. They made their way to Hiashi's office and had to wait for him to finish meeting with someone else first before they could go in. When the person came out, Naruto and Hinata saw it was Neji.

The Hyuuga boy narrowed his silver eyes at the hero. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you before that I had to make sure Hinata's dad doesn't believe that rumor," Naruto answered as he folded his arms.

Neji scoffed. "You expect him to just take your word for it?"

"Actually, yeah. I know you Hyuuga can tell when someone's lying, and Hiashi's got to be the best at it. He'll now I'm telling the truth," Naruto countered. "I don't get why you care anyway. You don't even like Hinata, so what's your problem? Why do you attack me for being close to her?"

"It's my duty. You wouldn't understand," Neji nearly growled throw gritted teeth.

Naruto was about to say he did understand if Neji's hostility was due to the Caged Bird Contract and the consequences he faced if he failed to protect Hinata even though he didn't want to, but he kept his mouth shut when he considered the possibility that Hinata wasn't supposed to tell him about her family's enslavement of each other.

Seeing Naruto had nothing to say in return, Neji scoffed again and walked off. With a sigh, the hero entered Hiashi's office when the head of the Hyuuga family called him. Hinata came with him, but Hiashi 'requested' that she wait outside.

Once alone with the blonde boy, Hiashi, who was sitting at his desk and looking at some forms he was signing, asked, "So, Naruto. What can I do for you?"

Rubbing the back of his head nervously, the whisker-faced boy replied, "Actually, sir, I came here to clear something up with you."

"Oh? What would that be?" Hiashi looked up from his work with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, you see, sir, there's this rumor going around school that your daughter and I are dating." He gulped nervously when he saw the man's eyes narrow slightly, and waving his hands frantically, the boy quickly added, "Which isn't true! Hinata and I are just friends! I wouldn't dream of going behind your back, sir!"

Naruto fell silent, and Hiashi stared at him for a long moment. Then a smirk broke out on the man's face, which made the blonde even more nervous than the stern stare had.

"How did such a rumor get started, Naruto?" the Hyuuga head asked.

Scratching his cheek, the boy answered, "Well...I think it was when I admitted I'm attracted to your daughter in front of one of her friends, who I didn't know loves to gossip..." He turned his gaze to the floor as he awaited his imminent death for saying he was attracted to Hinata.

"I see," Hiashi said simply. He stood up and started to walk around his desk toward the boy.

_"Here it comes. Should've kissed Nata while I had the chance, or at least have taken her on a date before coming here..."_ Naruto thought fearfully as the Hyuuga leader came closer and suppressed the urge to swallow nervously again when the man stopped in front of him.

"So to clarify, you are interested in being more than friends with my daughter," Hiashi stated more than asked.

But Naruto answered anyway. "Y-Yes, sir. B-But I would never ask her out without clearing it with you first!"

Hinata's father regarded the boy before him for a moment. Naruto was still facing the floor, but now his eyes were shut tight in fear and his fists were balled at his sides. Truthfully, Hiashi already suspected his daughter's relationship with the boy was becoming something more than friendship by the way they acted the night the Namikazes came to dinner. Heck, he suspected the two had a developing crush the day he first met Naruto, which he acknowledged was the same day the two had met each other as well.

The man suddenly felt too old to be dealing with teenagers and their hormonal emotions, and he let out a sigh. "Naruto, stop staring at the floor. I'm not going to kill you."

Naruto obeyed, but said, "Honestly, Lord Hiashi, I'm more afraid you're gonna tell me I can't hang out with your daughter anymore."

Hiashi let out a very brief laugh. "You fear that more than your own death?"

"Well, yeah. Hinata's pretty much the best person I've ever met outside my own family. A friendship like that's worth dying for," the hero stated in all sincerity.

Hiashi closed his eyes and nodded then seemed to consider something for a minute. Opening his eyes again, he told Naruto, "Well, you can relax. I'm not going to stop you from being her friend, but I do think it's too soon for you two to begin dating."

"I completely agree. Hinata and I still want to be just friends for the time being," Naruto said openly.

"Good. That maturity will go along way for you if you ever do ask for my permission," Hiashi replied with a smirk. Moving back to his chair, he continued, "But I still won't make it easy for you."

Naruto sweat-dropped. "Yes, sir."

Hiashi sat back down. "So, is that all you came here to tell me?"

"Yeah," the boy nodded. "I didn't want Hinata to get in trouble over some rumor, and I didn't want you to think I was some coward who couldn't face you."

The Hyuuga leader was mildly impressed with the blonde's answer. "Well then, I thank you for your concern for my daughter, and I admire your integrity, Naruto. That being said, you should know that I don't give idle gossip much consideration... However, this particular rumor probably would've caught my attention since it concerns my child..." He folded his hands on his desk and leaned toward Naruto. "I can tell that you aren't lying to me, though, so thank you for clearing things up preemptively." He paused while Naruto nodded while thanking him and then added, "By the way, Neji informed me of his confrontation with you over this earlier today. I must say, I'm surprised he beat you so easily after what I saw a few nights ago when your family was here."

Naruto bowed his head and answered, "I was overconfident and underestimated him, sir. Had I taken Neji more seriously, I know I could've won." Looking up, the boy was surprised to see Hiashi smirking at what he'd said.

"Hmm. Well, at least you learned a valuable lesson from your loss," Hiashi commented. "However, Neji was just fulfilling his duty. I hope you don't hold it against him."

"Not completely, sir," Naruto said honestly.

Hiashi nodded and let out a small chuckle. "Good, Naruto. And if that's all, you may go now."

Naruto gave him a short bow while thanking him before he turned and left the office. Finding Hinata waiting for him outside the door, he nearly threw caution to the wind to engulf the nervous girl in a hug, but he caught himself, feeling that maybe right outside her father's office wouldn't be the best place to show any sort of physical affection. So he just smiled at her and told her everything was okay.

"You're sure you don't want to work on homework together?" Hinata tried to hide her disappointment as she walked Naruto to the door.

"I'm really sorry, Nata, but I've got some stuff I have to do tonight," he replied, his own disappointment showing openly. "But maybe tomorrow after I have ramen with Iruka-sensei! Is that okay?"

"That sounds fine, Naruto," she gave him a small smile.

The hero frowned—he could tell she was feeling a little sad that he had to leave so soon. It made him happy that she wanted him around and guilty because he had to leave all at the same time. Reaching the door, Naruto walked out and pulled Hinata along with him, much to her surprise.

"Naruto, what are you—"

"I just wanted to say goodbye to you out here rather than in there where someone could be watching us," he explained. "Didn't want someone trying to kill me for doing this." He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair, taking a deep breath of her scent. Hinata immediately returned the hug, nuzzling her face in his strong chest. "I'll see you tomorrow," Naruto said into her hair and let her go slowly as she nodded. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before Naruto suddenly kissed Hinata on the forehead and took off running for home. He spared a glance over his shoulder and was happy to see that he hadn't made her faint. Instead, Hinata was grinning happily through her blush as she waved goodbye to him.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Later that evening while Naruto worked on his homework, he discussed his problem of how to find out whether or not Hinata knew who he really was with Kurama. The fox, who had spent the better part of the day attempting to read inane children's books in his quest to learn how to read, was nearly overjoyed to have something serious to work his brain on.

"So what d'ya think, Kurama?" Naruto asked his fox partner a few minutes after he'd finished explaining the situation.

"Hmm... Well, this is certainly complicated," Kurama replied. His tail waved around lazily as he pondered the problem. "You suspect that she knows you're the Kitsune Ninja, but you're not certain. If you go ahead and tell her and she doesn't know, there's no real saying where it could lead... I'm inclined to believe she'd take it well, especially since you said she made something to aid your hero identity..."

"But?" Naruto addressed the unspoken hesitation.

"But there's always the risk I could be wrong," Kurama answered. Minutes of silence passed as the two thought the problem over, and then suddenly Kurama's ears perked up. "Kit, I have an idea. Just go meet her as the Kitsune Ninja!"

"Huh? How would I explain that?" Naruto's face scrunched up in confusion.

Kurama waved his paw dismissively. "No problem. Simply make up some stuff about watching over her since you met her."

"Yeah, 'cause that doesn't sound stalkerish or anything," the blonde muttered sarcastically.

"I've heard some women are into that," the fox half-joked, and Naruto glared at him. "In all seriousness, though, if she really knows who you are, then it's not a problem, and if she doesn't, she'll know you're not a stalker once you reveal who you really are to her. Whenever that happens. Either way, it'll work out."

The hero considered his friend's advice for several minutes before replying, "Yeah, I guess that could work. Thanks, Kurama!" The two grinned foxily at each other. "You might act like a cranky, old man sometimes, but you're a really good friend."

Kurama sweat-dropped. "Well, what can I say? To quote one of those movies you had me watch, 'You ain't never had a friend like me.'"

Now it was Naruto's turn to sweat-drop, but he also laughed. "Can't argue with that."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Changing into his ninja outfit, the boy told Kurama he would be back in a bit, and the fox responded with a yawn before going back to sleep. Kitsune Ninja then opened his window to the cool, night air and leapt out to the ground below, rolling as his feet made contact with the ground to reduce impact.

_"So glad I perfected that. Freakish healing ability or not, the ground is really hurts to hit with your ass, ya know!" _the Ninja thought wryly as he was running through the shadows on his way to the Hyuuga mansion.

He stealthily made his way across the grounds of the mansion toward the one tree that grew right next to the large house. He was sure that he had seen that tree by Hinata's window when he was in her room, and his plan was to use it to climb up to her room rather than ruining the side of the house with his claws. Effortlessly, the Ninja moved up the tree and thanked his good fortune that a strong branch grew close to the window he needed. Using his night vision that his fox eyes granted him, he checked to be sure the person in the room was the one he was looking for. He smiled beneath his mask when he saw the beautiful bluenette lying in her bed, and returning his claws to his normal fingernails—he didn't want to accidently break her window—he tapped on the glass.

Hinata had actually just lain down to go to sleep when the hero showed up, so she was still awake when he began tapping on her window. Sitting up in her bed, the girl's first reaction was to scream at the dark figure on the other side of her window, but the fact that the figure was waving at her stopped her before she could. Hinata cautiously got out of bed and made her way toward the window, grabbing a flashlight along the way. She shined the light at the Ninja, who flinched at the brightness. He squinted at her and gave her another short little wave, and Hinata breathed a sigh of relief before tossing the flashlight aside and opening her window.

He climbed inside her room, and doing his best to ignore how attractive she looked in her tank-top and shorts, he said in his lower, disguised voice, "Good evening, Hinata. Sorry to disturb you, but I need to talk to you. And now seemed the best time to find you alone."

_"Naruto, you sound so weird talking like that!"_ was Hinata's mental reaction. Outwardly, she replied, "O-Oh, it's no problem, K-Kitsune Ninja. I hadn't fallen asleep yet anyway."

"That's good to hear. And please, just call me 'Kit.' It's easier than my whole name."

"Okay...Kit. So what can I do for you?"

Raging internally at his grandfather for the perverted thoughts that came to mind in response to her question, the Ninja cleared his throat and answered, "Well, I caught word that you had an invention that could aid me in battle. Is it true?"

"Y-Yes, it is. But how did you find that out? The only person I told is my friend Naruto," Hinata questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"That would be the blonde guy with the whisker-marks on his face, correct?" he asked neutrally.

_"And the most gorgeous blue eyes,"_ Hinata thought with a slight blush. "Yes. Do you know him?"

The Ninja shook his head. "No, but I must confess. Ever since I met you that day when I fought the lizard monster, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, and I've kept watch over you when you're outside your home to keep you safe. That's how I saw your blonde friend." In his mind, Naruto thought, _"Man, I took Kurama's excuse to talk to her and turned it into something like a mild excerpt from one of Ero-jii-san's stupid books! Just don't start making pervy insinuations..."_

_"Getting a bit cheesy, aren't you, Naruto?"_ Hinata thought at the same time with a mental giggle. Deciding to have some fun with him, she replied, "Really? I'm flattered, but why would you take such an interest in me?"

_"Either she knows who I am and is having fun with me, or she really doesn't know why any guy would be interested in her,"_ Naruto contemplated. _"Well, if it's the first, I'm gonna have some fun too, and if it's the second...well, I'm still gonna have some fun, but hopefully boost her confidence at the same time."_ Taking the bluenette's soft hand in his own gloved one, the Ninja looked deep into her lavender eyes and said, "Honestly? Your beauty captivated me the moment I laid eyes on you. With your long, silky, midnight-blue tresses and your dazzling lavender eyes that make the moon itself jealous of their beauty, you resemble nothing less than a princess. And that's without mentioning your flawless, fair skin and your perfect figure."

Hinata couldn't help turning dark red at his compliments, but she was also thinking, _"I believe I'm going to need boots to keep listening to this! Or a shovel. Geez, Naruto, you're really laying it on thick here."_

"I sense you don't believe what I say, Hime," Kitsune Ninja said with a chuckle that turned into a laugh when she squeaked in surprise.

"I-It's not that. W-Well, sort of. I j-just have a hard time believing such..._extreme_ compliments," she told him with a sweat-drop.

He laughed again. "Yeah, I guess I was being a bit excessive, huh?" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, unaware that he just gave Hinata further evidence of who he was with his very Naruto-like mannerism. "Still," he continued, "my sentiment was at least sincere. You are very beautiful. Just like a princess!" He leaned closer to her, and he was still holding her hand. "And every hero needs a princess to fight for." Smirking beneath his mask, he winked at her.

Her blush, which had begun to fade, returned with a vengeance. However, a spark of feminine pride was ignited, and she took her hand back to cross her arms as she retorted, "Again, Kit, I'm flattered, but I'm not some damsel in distress who's in constant need of saving."

Naruto blinked his red eyes in surprise. Then they closed as his grin grew exceptionally wide. "True, true. Wasn't trying to imply that you were. And really, a girl who can take care of herself is much more attractive than a girl's who's always needy and getting captured."

_"I believe you said as much before one time when we were playing video games."_ Hinata tilted her head. "So what did you mean then?"

"Simply that you give me something more to fight for." He turned away from her and looked out the window. Taking a deep breath, he elaborated, "When I first started doing this—the hero thing I mean—it was 'cause I felt obligated to use my abilities for something other than myself. But that first guy I helped—a jeweler whose life was being threatened by the thieves who were robbing him—it became something more. When I saw the look of relief and gratitude on his face...I realized I _want_ to help people. I no longer feel obligated; I feel privileged. I was granted the ability to keep people safe, to take down bad guys so everyone else can live in peace, and it gives me purpose. For once in my life, I truly feel useful! And seeing the same look on other people's faces when I help them...! I can't even describe that feeling that that gives me! Hahaha!" Realizing he'd gone off on a bit of a tangent, the hero's happy laughter died, and he cleared his throat awkwardly. Turning back to Hinata, he continued. "Anyway, my point is, I love being able to help people, but even still, it helps to have someone specific to do everything for." He gestured with his thumb over his shoulder toward the window. "A city full of strangers, grateful as they may be, doesn't compare to a beautiful princess such as yourself," he chuckled at her embarrassed expression. "Especially if it's true that you're willing to make gadgets to help me. May I see the one you were telling Naruto about?"

It took Hinata a second to realize that he'd asked her a question because she'd been so caught up in what he was telling her about himself, but when she did, she answered, "Oh! Y-Yes! L-Let me get it for you!" The bluenette scurried over to her school bag began digging through it frantically, tossing books and other objects out of it everywhere. Naruto was quite amused by it. Then suddenly Hinata was before him again, holding out strange pieces of tech in her hands, and grinning triumphantly. "I-I managed to put together a working prototype for an energy-shielding technology. It's called a kinetic barrier, and it stops high-speed projectiles from hurting you. It could also work in reverse too in case...you know..."

"Someone throws me at a wall again?" he finished for her with a short laugh, and she nodded. "Thanks, Hime. Really, it makes me happy that you want to keep me safe as well. So how does it work?"

Hinata launched into a rather detailed explanation that made Naruto's head hurt more than anything. A basic summary is that small sensors detect incoming projectiles or an impending high-speed impact, and they project energy to block it. The energy is produced by small, experimental batteries that are capable of limited self-recharge, and can take energy from the sun or from being recharged like normal batteries as well. The gadget mistress warned the Ninja against relying on them too heavily since the batteries were still too weak to hold up for long in a fight. Without sunlight, the batteries take awhile to recharge the shields, and even with the sun, the batteries could only handle so much at any one time. A strong impact to the shields could only be buffered before the shields would "shatter" so to speak, and that would make them take even longer to recharge.

"It's not perfect, but I'm hoping it'll help you," Hinata said meekly.

"I'm sure it will," the Ninja smiled softly at her. "And it's not like you can't make improvements over time, ya know?"

_"'Ya know'? Naruto, you need to disguise yourself better than that,"_ Hinata thought with a smile. "That's true. So, shall I install the shields now?"

"Sure!" He spread his arms wide. "Do whatever you need to do!"

Minutes later, the tiny, almost imperceptible sensors were placed in various spots on Kitsune Ninja's body, and the power source went just above his equipment pouch on his hip. Once Hinata was done with the installation, Naruto looked himself over and grinned.

"Shall we test it out?" the bluenette asked innocently.

"Sure, but how're you—"

He was interrupted by the appearance of a blue, shimmering wave of energy in front of him that blocked a marble launched from the slingshot in Hinata's hand. It disappeared as quickly as it had shown up, but he had enough time to vaguely notice the energy curved partially around him as if it were part of a bubble that surrounded him.

"Huh. That's pretty cool!" the boy's grin was so big it could almost be seen through his mask. Then he grabbed the Hyuuga girl's arm and pulled her to him in a tight hug. "Thank you, Hinata-hime! Thank you so much!"

She hesitated for only half a second before returning the embrace. "Y-You're welcome, Kit. You saved me, so I'm returning the favor."

Reluctantly, the Ninja let her go and stepped back a bit. "Ya know, if you want to, you could do more than just repay me with this."

"What do you mean?"

He held out his hand. "I mean join me. Not in the fighting necessarily. But in creating gadgets for me to help me in my fights and helping me if I ever need to infiltrate some bad guy's hideout. What do you say? Wanna become 'Gadget Girl'?"

_"Seriously, Naruto? That's the name you called me before the 'Kitsune Ninja' supposedly started watching me. How many ways are you going to basically tell me it's you before you just say it?"_ Hinata thought with mild frustration. But she just smiled and put her hand in his. "I would love to become 'Gadget Girl' and join you!" Then her look turned sly as she said, "But you know, it's not fair that you know who I am, but I don't know who you are..."

Naruto chuckled. "True. Let's fix that, shall we?" He reached up and started to pull down his mask...

**–Kit! We gotta go! Another monster is rampaging downtown!–**

The Ninja turned to the window and saw his fox partner in his black, nine-tailed form hanging by his claws in the tree. Naruto nodded to him before turning back to Hinata. "Sorry, Hime, I gotta go. Something bad's happening and I gotta stop it!" He turned and ran out the window, calling over his shoulder, "We'll continue this later! I promise!"

Hinata sighed in disappointment. "I was so close!"

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Mwahaha! Cliffhanger no Jutsu! XD

And here's the lame pun for this chapter:

I did a theatrical performance about puns. Really, it was just a play on words.

XD

I know they're lame, but sometimes a pun's worth a giggle or two. Hahaha! And ya know, that gives me an idea for a superhero: The Pun Isher! His superpower is making his enemies kill themselves so they can escape his lame puns. Hahahaha! Rest assured, I won't do that to this story. But perhaps an omake if I ever write one. XD

Over 100 followers! Woo! \o/ Never thought I'd reach triple digits with followers, favers, or reviews, so I gotta say, I'm flattered, guys. Thanks for your interest in my story. Now to get triple digits in the other two sections! :D

Anyway, just want to thank my reviewers again as always. **Chewie Cookies**, **TheMagicManWithThePlan**, **Kauris Azurai**, **Samnamikaze23**, **MYK-ON**, **Djwerewolf**, **lereviewer**, **StormSurfer**, **Dragon38996**, and **xKunoichixAngelx**, you guys are awesome. I know I may have gone a little overboard with the fluff and that I tend to repeat some reactions a little more often than I intend to, so thank you for bearing with my imperfections. I hope the excessive fluff isn't bothering anyone, though. I've always thought Naruto would be a fairly affectionate guy to the girl he liked...well, if she liked him back anyway. And most of the fluff has a reason. Part of it in the last chapter was because Naruto missed Hinata after not seeing her for 3 days, and another certain part was more to get Ino to quit flirting with him. In this chapter, it's to show Hinata's insecurities and to give an opportunity to show why her family considers her a failure, and by encouraging her and affirming his desire to remain friends with her, Naruto and Hinata's relationship has grown a little closer. And his actions while dressed as the Ninja at the end were mostly for hilarity's sake. Hahaha. :P

And don't kill me for Naruto losing to Neji! It was to serve a purpose! He had to learn the "don't underestimate anyone" lesson somehow because as I was writing this story, I noticed Naruto seemed to be getting a little overconfident at least when it came to any normal human as a potential adversary. Okay? He'll have his comeback, don't worry. And I will do my best to make it epic! *fist pump*

Just be patient and keep on reading! ^_^ And at least he beat down Sasuke, right? :P

Also, in honor of Robin Williams, I used one of his lines from one of his many hilarious movies. I happened to find that movie on TV while I was writing this too, so it kind of inspired me to do it. Rest in peace, Robin Williams. You were an entertaining man, and a great actor. You will be greatly missed.

...

Moving away from that sad note, leave me a review if you're still liking the story up to this point!

And one final note, I just started graduate school, so my reputation for updating this story quickly is probably going to die. Be patient, though, and know that I will never abandon this or any other of my stories!

Until next time!


	9. Gadget Girl!

Wow, guys. I gotta say I'm touched by all the positive reviews I've gotten for this story, not to mention all the follows and faves. For someone like me, who can fluctuate anywhere from pre-time-skip-Hinata-level confidence to how Hinata was right before she got caught in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, it's a huge boost in confidence to know something I wrote is so well liked. So thank you all. Really. ^_^

And I even got my first threat to keep writing! Well, for this story. One of my other story's earned me my very first threat, but still. As weird as it sounds, it makes me happy that someone wants me to continue _that_ badly. Hahaha. And as long as it remains joking and not creepy, I find threats for me to continue amusing and flattering. XD

So as is my tradition, I will thank my reviewers for the last chapter by name. **DoodleMonstah **(who has the honor of threatening me first XD), **xKunoichixAngelx **(I'm sorry you couldn't be the 70th reviewer like you wanted), **Rose Tiger**, **Chewie Cookies** (read his stories, everyone! And bug him to update faster! :D), **MYK-ON**, **WolfCoyote**, **thor94**, **Djwerewolf**, **Era-chan**, **everysongisyours**, **dragonball256**, **Dragon38996**, **StormSurfer**, **Zamrok**, and the guest reviewer, thank you all. ^^

And a super special awesome thanks to **DoodleMonstah** for drawing the new cover art for this story. For giving me my first threat and drawing the cover art—you rock, **DoodleMonstah**. ^_^ If you ever feel like drawing something for my other stories, that would make me even happier. XD Also, I believe I promised a reward in the form of a short story or an omake, so if there's something you'd like me to write outside of this story, let me know, **DoodleMonstah**. ^^

Now, as the title suggests, this chapter is the debut of Gadget Girl. And an interesting bit of trivia is that isn't the name I originally had in mind for Hinata's superhero name when I started this. When Naruto called her that the first time, it was just meant to be a quick, possibly one-time joke nickname. But most of you liked it so much that I reconsidered and decided to use it. :)

So here it is! Chapter 9: Gadget Girl!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto or any other reference in this story that might have a copyright attached to it. However, I've got the Kitsune Ninja, Kyuubi, and Gadget Girl working to change that. :P

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Kitsune Ninja and Kyuubi raced from the Hyuuga mansion, heading toward the center of the city. As they were running, Kyuubi noticed the Ninja had a downcast look in his eyes.

"Kit, is something wrong?"

The hero looked up at his fox partner running alongside him. "Yeah, I guess. It's just...I was about to tell Nata who I am when you showed up."

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry I interrupted," Kyuubi said sincerely.

"No, that's not it. I'm actually...kinda glad you did," Kit admitted, averting his gaze downward again.

"Hmm? Why is that? I thought you wanted to tell her," the nine-tailed fox questioned as he and his partner scaled a building to take to the rooftops.

Kitsune Ninja sighed. "I do—or I did—until I started thinking of some stuff again."

"Which would be?"

The hero sighed again. "Stuff like 'what if my being basically a mutant ends up creeping her out' and 'do I really have a right to drag her into this.' I mean, I'm just endangering her life just by being her friend as my normal self, ya know. So I just don't kn—" Kyuubi cut him off by whacking him over the head with one of his tails. "Ow! That hurts, ya furball!"

"Good! 'Cause there's plenty more where that came from if you don't knock off that melodramatic bullshit right now!" the fox yelled angrily. Kit could only blink in surprise at his friend's outburst. Taking a calming breath, Kyuubi told him, "She already knows you—the hero—is different. I'd bet my tails that knowing who you really are won't change anything. As for putting her in danger," Kyuubi looked the Ninja in the eyes, "as long as you're giving her a choice in the matter—both in helping us and associating with you—then what harm are you causing? The only thing you have no right to do is make decisions for her."

Kitsune Ninja smiled beneath his mask, and a happy light returned to his red, fox eyes. "Yeah, you're right, Kyuubi. Thanks! Now let's go kick this monster's ass so go back and tell her!" He put on a new burst of speed and leapt to another building.

"Sounds like a plan, Kit!" Kyuubi grinned ferally as he rushed after his partner.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Meanwhile, minutes before the fox heroes would arrive on the scene, Kabuto was talking to the monster through a radio device clipped to the monster's ear.

"Remember your orders. Try to kill them if you can, but if not, get their scent and retreat. You can ambush them later then."

"Un**ders**tood," the monster growled out in response.

"And don't kill anyone other than the hero and his pet. The lab can't be responsible for any collateral damage that isn't property," Kabuto added.

The creature just grunted in response before turning around and continuing flipping cars and causing general destruction to lure in the heroes.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Kitsune Ninja and Kyuubi paused on the roof of a building just long enough to take in the scene before jumping into battle. They saw the street below was torn up all over, cars were either flipped or thrown into buildings, and there was a police barricade on either side of the street containing the monster where it was, but the police were making no move to actually subdue the creature. The monster itself was the most disturbing sight, though. It was around the size of Kyuubi and also walked on all fours. The body was that of a lion's while its head was more like a wolf's with a mane. The tail was like a snake's.

"What the heck does that sick bastard do in his lab all day? Sew animals together at random?" the Ninja asked sarcastically.

Kyuubi let out a short bark of laughter. "Kit, you have no idea. Let's just get down there."

"Right!" he nodded.

With their fox agility, Kyuubi and Kit were down the building and on the destroyed street in seconds, and wasting no time, they rushed the enemy. The Ninja threw a few shuriken at the monster, mostly to catch its attention more than injure it, while Kyuubi grabbed a downed car with his tails and slammed it into the monster's side when it turned to face the source of the shuriken. Blindsided, the wolf-lion-snake hybrid rolled a couple of times before coming to a stop while the car used to hit it landed upside-down on the other side of the creature.

There was the sound of a distraught man's voice screaming, "My car!" followed by excessive weeping, but the Ninja ignored it as he charged the enemy while it was down.

The creature stood up in time to receive a slash across its face from the hero's claws. It swatted back but missed, and then Kyuubi jumped on its back, digging his claws into the monster's hide and trying to get its throat with his teeth through the creature's mane. The monster responded by throwing itself backward, slamming Kyuubi into the ground underneath it. Rolling off the fox, the monster slashed him across the chest before jumping away. The fox cried out in pain, but managed to jump to his feet and leap away as that same car from before was tossed at him.

As he dashed toward the enemy, Kitsune Ninja let out a chuckle when he heard that man's voice lamenting about his car again. Suppressing his amusement, the Ninja unleashed a roundhouse kick, which was reinforced by his kinetic barrier, to the monster's face, breaking a couple of its teeth and sending it flying toward a building. Kyuubi then threw what was left of that car at the monster. The hunk of twisted metal and plastic smashed into the hybrid, sandwiching it against the building.

There was the distant sound of the car's owner declaring vengeance on all things mutant just before the car's remains were shot off the building by a powerful kick from the monster. Kyuubi flattened himself to the ground, and the scrap heap sailed over him harmlessly. However, this left the Ninja, who was behind his fox partner, suddenly in the way, and the hunk of jagged metal crashed into him.

Opening his red eyes and lowering his arms that he had raised in an attempt to protect himself, Kitsune Ninja saw the remains of the car lying on the ground before him and the bluish light of the energy used by his barrier fading away, and amazingly, the shields had managed not to shatter. _"I really need to thank Nata for this invention,"_ the Ninja thought to himself before turning his attention back to the enemy.

The monster stood by the building it had crashed into, bloodied and breathing heavily. A second of silence passed, and then the creature charged at the two heroes. Reaching Kyuubi first, it knocked the Nine-Tails out of the way with a tackle and continued on toward the Ninja. As it neared him, it spun around, catching the hero's leg with its snake tail and slammed him to the ground on his back. The kinetic barrier hadn't recharged much at all from stopping the hunk of metal before, but it had enough power to prevent injury. However, the Ninja was still left winded. The monster took the opportunity to pounce on the hero, aiming to take his head off with a single bite, but Kit recovered enough to slash at the monster's face again. And before the creature could try again, it saw Kyuubi running toward it. In a split second, the creature concluded its best course of action would be to get the Ninja's scent and retreat. Holding the hero down with its paws, it took a big sniff of his chest, memorized the hero's scent, and still managed to dodge out of the way of Kyuubi's tackle. It then turned and ran down an alley without a moment's hesitation.

After a quick, confused glance at each other, Kitsune Ninja and Kyuubi pursued the monster, but it managed to lose them by jumping down a manhole. There was no way either hero could track the monster by scent through the horrible stench of the sewers, and there were too many tunnels to just try their luck. So they had to give up the chase. The Ninja was about to suggest they go home when Kyuubi told him they had to make a long, winding detour to return home rather than just running straight there. When asked why, the fox explained to his human companion that the monster could track them back to their house, so they had to make it harder, if not impossible, for it. Seeing the logic of the plan, the Ninja agreed, although he let out a groan when he realized how much sleep he was losing on a school night.

After an hour of running all over the city, leaving false trails and occasionally splitting up, Kitsune Ninja and Kyuubi finally returned home. The boy then changed back into Naruto, took the fastest shower of his life, and then fell exhausted into his bed. The fox—now in his normal fox form again—hopped up on the bed next to Naruto and told him he would keep watch while the boy slept just in case the monster found them anyway. Naruto barely had time to thank him before unconsciousness took him.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The next morning, Hinata, dressed in a lavender T-shirt and black pants, was standing at the end of her driveway looking anxiously down the street in the direction of Naruto's house. They were supposed to walk to school together again, but he was late. She had been trying to call him for several minutes, and finally, his groggy voice came over the phone.

"Hello?"

"Naruto! Where are you? We're going to be late for school!" Hinata exclaimed into her phone.

"Wha..?" There was a short pause where she assumed he was looking at his clock and then, "OH CRAP! Sorry, Nata! I'll be right there!" And he hung up.

Hinata giggled as she pictured Naruto's panicking face and his mad scramble to get ready for school.

Unbeknownst to the girl as she waited, a pair of yellow eyes watched her from the beneath the bushes that grew beside the stone wall that surrounded the Hyuuga mansion. The monster, exhausted and cross from searching for the heroes all night, had been looking for a place to catch a few hours of sleep before it continued its search when it caught a whiff of a scent that had been on the human hero the night before. Looking upwind, it saw a blue-haired female human standing a few yards away.

Narrowing its eyes, the monster stealthily crept closer to get a better look. Analyzing the bluenette with its eyes, nose, and ears, the creature determined that the human female seemed to be of average strength for one of her species, maybe even a little on the weak side. The monster could also tell that her scent was definitely the other scent it smelled on the human hero last night.

Now, the monster may have not reached full sentience like Kurama, but it was close and as a creature made up of three different predators, it knew enough about hunting to understand one particular strategy available to it to catch at least one of the heroes.

Bait.

This female had a connection to the hero, and it may just be enough to lure the hero out.

However, as the monster moved to pounce, a wave of pain shot through its body. Its injuries from the fight with the heroes were not yet healed, and the monster knew it would be best to recover more before setting up its trap. Deciding to wait until later to capture the blue-haired human, the monster moved into a small wooded area of the Hyuuga grounds to rest and recover.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The second Naruto hung up his phone, he practically flew out of his bed and rushed to get dressed. Clothes were sailing almost comically through the air as he dug a clean shirt and pair of pants out of his closet and more went flying as he searched for his coat and headband.

Had he been awake, Kurama would've found the scene funny, but as soon as he woke Naruto up by biting the boy's hand so he would answer his phone, the small fox had passed out exhausted on the bed. Naruto figured Kurama wouldn't be awake until he got home.

Fully dressed, Naruto raced downstairs, grabbing a cereal breakfast bar on his way out the door. Once outside, he ran only slightly faster than the average person, inwardly cursing that he couldn't run at full speed because someone might see.

"Hinata!" Naruto called out with a wave when his blue-haired friend came into view.

"Good morning, Naruto," Hinata returned the greeting as the blonde stopped in front of her. "Nice to see you finally decided to show up," she teased.

Naruto laughed while scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that, Nata. I was up a bit late last night."

Hinata knew about the monster running around the city last night, so she understood why he'd been up late. But of course she didn't mention it. Instead, she said, "That's okay, Naruto. It's not like Kakashi-sensei will be there to count us late."

"True. But we should get going either way." He held out his hand, and Hinata took it with a nod. Then the two of them walked to school hand-in-hand.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Other than Naruto struggling to stay awake through some of his classes, the school day passed without incident. The Namikaze talked to his new friends more, Ino made a few small attempts at flirting with him, Sasuke nodded "hello" to him, and Neji even seemed to be keeping a respective distance, although that didn't stop the white-eyed boy from glaring. Naruto was a bit disappointed that Guy-sensei didn't pick Neji to be his sparring partner too; the blonde hero _really_ wanted his rematch with the arrogant Hyuuga. But he knew he couldn't openly provoke Neji or just attack him without potentially pissing off Hinata's dad, so he just had to be patient. Naruto would get his chance eventually.

When school was out, Naruto said goodbye to Hinata, telling her he would be at her house later to work on homework, and she walked home alone while he stayed behind to wait for Iruka. As she walked, the Hyuuga heiress couldn't help but feel a little lonely and her hand a little cold without her blonde crush next to her with his big, strong hand holding her small, soft one.

Hinata let out a longing sigh. _"Don't be so needy,"_ she mentally scolded herself. _"You don't need to be with him every second, and you'll see him later. And this gives you time to get some stuff together to become Gadget Girl."_ A big smile broke out on her face at the thought of being able to fight alongside Naruto, and the excitement she felt compelled her to start running home.

As the bluenette passed the wall that surrounded her home and started running up her driveway, the monster sprang from the bushes and charged toward her without making a sound. Hinata was still smiling even as a large paw descended on her head, knocking her out. She never knew what hit her.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Shortly after Hinata left, Naruto was at Ichiraku Ramen catching up with his sensei and adoptive older brother Iruka. He also met Iruka's girlfriend, who was also Teuchi's daughter, Ayame. She was a fair skinned, brown-eyed girl in her early twenties with long, brown hair tied up in a white bandana. Her white robe that was her restaurant uniform fit well on her slender frame. Naruto could see why his adoptive brother liked her; besides being pretty, Ayame was also kind and energetic. She even gave Naruto his first bowl on the house because he was a close friend of Iruka's.

An hour passed with the two friends catching each other up on what had been going on in their lives since they last saw each other, and the conversation of course led up to more current events. Naruto heard from Iruka how he had started dating Ayame a few months ago, and then Iruka asked the boy what brought him to Konoha.

"Oh, Mom and Dad had some stuff to do with Mom's side of the family. They said they were gonna be gone for awhile and didn't want to keep me out of school, so I couldn't go with them. I moved here to live with my grandparents while I go to school," Naruto explained a little sadly as he stared down into the remains of his fourth bowl of ramen.

"I see," replied Iruka, catching the dejected tone in the boy's voice. "Have you at least heard from them?"

"No," Naruto sighed. "But my mom's family lives in Ame, and things aren't exactly stable up there. Finding a safe time to call and on a secure link isn't exactly easy."

"Ah. Well, don't let it get you down, Naruto," Iruka said with a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder. "I'm sure they're fine, so don't worry. Now, tell me about how you came to be such good friends with the Hyuuga heiress." He gave the boy an amused smirk.

Naruto grinned at him even as a tiny blush crossed his cheeks. "Well, it all started a week after I got here..."

He launched into the tale about how he met Hinata when he saved her from the three bullies in the park and then carried her to his house so his grandmother could treat her wounded ankle. From there, he continued on by telling Iruka about how much he had in common with the bluenette. The sensei smiled fondly at his little brother figure as he watched the boy's face throughout his tale. He could see the genuine affection and care that Naruto had for Hinata, and it made him happy to know that Naruto had made such a good friend, if not something more.

By the time the whisker-faced boy finished his story and Iruka was done lightly teasing him about his obvious feelings for the girl, the sun was starting to set, and the blonde hero decided he should get going so he could work on homework with Hinata. Iruka left the money for their meal on the counter, and the two of them said their goodbyes to Teuchi and Ayame before getting into Iruka's car. The sensei then dropped off Naruto at the Hyuuga mansion, telling him he'd see him tomorrow at school.

Needless to say, Naruto was in a rather good mood when he knocked on the Hyuugas' door. He had no idea that good mood was about to be replaced with a strong sense of dread.

"Master Naruto? What are you doing here?" George asked when he opened the door.

Naruto cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean, what am I doing here? Didn't Hinata tell you? I'm here to work on homework with her if that's alright."

"But...Lady Hinata has not returned. We assumed she was with you," George told him with growing apprehension.

"What...?" Naruto's heart fumbled for a second as the ice-cold feeling of his Instinct covered him like a layer of frost. "No, I...I had something to do after school. Hinata walked home by herself..."

George just stared him for a moment before asking, "Did she mention possibly going with another friend?"

"I was supposed to come here to do homework with her, so she would've told me if she went somewhere else," Naruto answered, and he checked his phone just to be sure. "Yeah, there's no messages from her." He looked back up at George, and both men knew something was wrong. With his blue eyes burning with determination, the blonde hero said, "I'm gonna go find her. George, you should probably let her dad know she's missing, but I will find her."

"Understood, Master Naruto. Good luck," the butler replied.

Naruto spun on his heel and took off for his home to get his fox partner. Along the way, he tried calling Hinata many times, but the phone just continued to ring before going to her voicemail. _"Come on, Nata... Pick up your phone! Please... Please be okay..."_ After the seventh try, he decided to leave a message. "Nata, this is Naruto. I just stopped by your house and you weren't there. Call me back if you get this message. I hope you're okay..."

Upon reaching his house, Naruto decided against going in through the door when he considered the possibility that his grandparents might stop him from going to look for Hinata. He made his way to his window, deciding it best that his grandparents think he was still over at Hinata's house. He jumped up and held onto the window sill, and thankfully, Kurama wasted no time letting him in. The boy then explained to his fox friend what happened and why he felt Hinata was in danger. Without a second thought, Kurama suggested they change to their hero forms and investigate.

Minutes later, Kitsune Ninja and Kyuubi were back at the Hyuuga mansion using their supersensitive noses to search for a sign of the blue-haired heiress, and Naruto's stomach twisted in worry as he caught Hinata's scent with the monster's. Catching the trail, they took off after the monster.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

An hour of searching later, the Ninja and Kyuubi found themselves outside an abandoned warehouse on the northwest edge of the city. The building was old and deteriorating; many of its windows were broken, the metal walls were patched with rust, and there were many empty, metal crates scattered around outside the building.

_"Hinata!" _Naruto thought worriedly, and he charged toward the main door. But Kyuubi shot one of his black tails after the boy, catching him around the waist and pulling him back roughly.

Landing on his butt, the Ninja looked up at his fox partner with a scowl. "What was that for?!" he yelled.

**–Shut up!–** Kyuubi growled in his face. **–You can't just charge in there without knowing the situation inside! You need to stay calm!–**

Chastised, the boy whispered back, "Right. Sorry."

The fox sighed, hoping that no one inside the building heard Naruto yell, and he motioned for the boy to follow him behind some of the old crates so they could discuss what course of action would be best to take.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Meanwhile inside the building, Hinata was doing her best to stay calm. When she had returned to consciousness, she was greeted by none other—besides a raging headache—a sight that she could only describe as a scene straight out of some cliché superhero comic or movie. She was chained by her wrists, hanging from a metal rafter inside a dark building, the only lighting was one dim, low-hanging bulb, but even with the minimal lighting, she could tell she was in some sort of warehouse from the metal crates stacked around the area and the cement floor beneath her feet, which were barely touching the floor. From the small amount of light coming from the numerous windows, Hinata could see the area she was in was rather spacious as well. Adding to the cliché was the pair of yellow eyes watching her from the shadows and the cloaked and hooded man standing a few feet away before her. She tried to see the man's face, but the glare on his round glasses prevented her from seeing his eyes.

Cliché or not, however, it was still a frightening sight to find oneself in.

"Ah, you're finally awake," said the man in a smooth voice that sent chills up the bluenette's spine.

"W-Where am I? Who a-are you?" Hinata asked fearfully.

The man folded his arms and held his chin with his thumb and forefinger. "And now what exactly would you gain by learning that? You would still be captured and completely at my mercy."

Hinata swallowed. "W-W-What are y-you g-going to do with me?"

Ah well, that depends. You see, my experiment here," he paused as the creature with the head of a wolf, body of a lion, and tail of a snake crept out of the shadows. The bluenette's breath caught in her throat at the sight of the creature. "Informs me that you have the scent of the Kitsune Ninja on you, and I have an interest in...shall we say, _meeting_ him."

"S-S-So I'm b-b-bait," Hinata concluded, beginning to shake in terror.

"Smart girl," the man remarked with a smirk.

"B-B-But h-how do you know h-he'll c-come for me?" she questioned, genuinely curious despite her apprehension to learn what this man knew of her connection to Naruto's secret identity.

The man shrugged. "Honestly? I don't. There could be a number of reasons why you have his smell on you, or how he happened to have your smell on him when my experiment fought him last night. You could know him without knowing who he really is, or he may have saved you from something else earlier on that night. Or maybe you do know who he really is.

"If you happen to know him at least as he is normally, then he should be looking for you. Otherwise, I'm sure the disappearance of the Hyuuga heiress is sure to draw the attention of our city's hero. And if he doesn't show up, you'll at least go for a nice ransom from your incredibly wealthy family.

"In the meantime," he pulled out a scalpel and started toward her, "I'm going to find out whether or not you know who he really is."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Naruto, following the plan to sneak in and scout the area first, lithely made his way into the warehouse through one of the uppermost windows and crouched on a rafter. His fox-like eyes adjusted immediately to the gloom, allowing him to see as well as if the room was in broad daylight, and he took a moment to observe his surroundings. Seeing a dim light hanging low in the center of the room, he concluded that was where Hinata must be and started making his way silently over there, leaping from rafter to rafter until he was closer to the center. Running along one rafter, he came to a halt when he saw Hinata hanging from a chain below him, and a cloaked figure holding a blade was approaching her.

"G-Get away f-from me!" Hinata screamed as she struggled against her chain.

The man paused. "Tell me what you know about your hero, and I won't have to make a single mark on that pretty face of yours."

"N-No! I d-don't know anything ab-b-bout him! J-Just let me g-go!" Hinata lied, not wanting to betray Naruto.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I thought you wouldn't be cooperative. Sad, really," the man shook his head in disappointment and started walking toward her again.

Hinata was screaming again, and Naruto decided not to waste another second. Crouching over where her chain was attached to the rafter, he dug his claws into the roof beam with one hand to keep himself from falling and reached down to grab her chain with the other. Then he heaved upwards, pulling Hinata easily into the air with his super strength.

The man blinked in surprise behind his glasses as he watched the heiress fly up to the ceiling with a shocked squeak, but he couldn't quite see where she was once she was out of reach of the light.

Naruto caught Hinata in his arm and set her down next to him. Motioning for her to be quiet, he let out a loud howl, **–KYUUBI! NOW!–**

Down below, the main doors to the warehouse were blown open, and the large, nine-tailed fox stood silhouetted in the doorway, his red eyes glowing with rage. Kyuubi let out a wordless roar and slammed his tails into the crates nearest to him, sending them flying toward the hooded man and the monster.

Both enemies managed to avoid being hit, and as the man got to his feet, he plunged a syringe into the monster as he shouted, "Experiment L7821! Kill them no matter the cost!"

"**Y**es, Mas**ter**!" the monster roared as it charged at Kyuubi. Meanwhile, the man escaped out of one of the ground-floor windows.

The Ninja turned to the blue-haired princess beside him. "Stay here, Hinata." She nodded, and he jumped down from the rafter onto the nearest stack of crates that was piled high up toward the ceiling. Making his way down, he dashed at the monster, shouting, "Kyuubi! Go after that guy! I got this!"

"Right!" the fox responded, breaking off from the fight with the hybrid creature and leaping out the window the man had escaped from.

The monster ran after him as if to stop him, but it was intercepted by the Ninja's fist smashing into its face. The force of the blow sent it rolling end over end backwards, finally crashing into a stack of crates, which collapsed on top of it. A moment passed in silence, and then suddenly the pile of crates exploded out from the monster, causing Naruto to have to duck for cover to avoid the metal shrapnel. When he stood back up, he was shocked at what he saw.

Whatever the man had injected into its system caused the creature to become even more monstrous. Its fangs were now more like a snakes—thinner and dripping with venom—and it's body was larger as its muscles increased in size. Its tail also grew longer and was whipping around wildly, destroying everything it hit as if it were made of metal.

The monster lowered itself into a crouch and then pounced at the hero.

From up on the rafter, Hinata watched Naruto dodge and dash around as he tried to avoid being hit by the now-more-powerful monster, and she wanted desperately to be able to help him. Looking around the warehouse, she suspected there might be something she could use in the back of the room. While Naruto continued his deadly dance on the floor, Hinata struggled to slip her hands out of the chain, and she eventually succeeded, although her hands felt like she'd nearly broken them in the process. However, she still managed to hold onto the chain well enough to swing down to the floor safely. Once her feet hit the cement, the blue-haired gadget mistress sprinted toward the back of the warehouse in search of something she could use to help her blonde hero.

Meanwhile, Kitsune Ninja was running out of ideas. Dodging forever obviously wasn't going to get him any closer to defeating the monster, and everything he threw at the creature was annihilated by that tail. Getting close wasn't an option either—superhuman healing or not, Naruto was pretty sure he wouldn't survive being hit by that tail, much less be able to explain such an injury if he did. And he certainly had no idea how well his body would hold up to the monster's venom should he get bit.

Flattening himself to the ground to avoid another swing of that tail, Naruto thought, _"I need a plan and fast!"_

While the Ninja dodged for his life, Hinata was in the back of the warehouse. She had managed to switch on a few lights, and once the area was illuminated, her eyes fell on some machinery that had been abandoned and left in disrepair as well as a few tools. Grabbing the tools, Hinata walked over to one of the larger pieces of machinery—an old forklift—and set about earning her title as Gadget Girl.

Naruto took a chance and grabbed the monster's snake-tail as it sailed over him again, digging his claws into the scaly skin to hold on. His plan was to use the tail to throw the monster, but that plan was contingent on Naruto actually being able to keep his feet on the ground, which the monster was not about to allow. It tossed him all around, smashing him into crates—his kinetic barrier doing a valiant job of protecting him from injury—and finally Naruto let go and tumbled across the floor. As he struggled to his feet, the monster charged forward, slashing at his chest with its claws. His shields managed to deflect the blow just enough before shattering so that the claws only made some shallow gashes. However, the pain still knocked the hero down with a gasp, and he lay on his back propped up on one arm, holding onto his wound with his other hand, and watching the monster stalk toward him.

As it came closer, it suddenly stopped as a rumbling noise echoed through the warehouse. Naruto recognized it as an engine just seconds before a forklift burst through a pile of crates and crashed into the monster before it had a chance to react. The forks of the forklift had managed to impale the creature's unprotected side, so it was mortally wounded even before the forklift rammed into the wall. Hinata jumped clear just in time.

When the echo of the crash faded, Hinata stood up slowly, her limbs and body feeling rather banged up but otherwise fine. She immediately ran over to Naruto, who was still sitting on the floor holding his chest. But he was also looking at her in shock.

"Na-er, Kit! Are you okay?" Hinata asked as she knelt beside the hero. The mixture of adrenaline and relief made her stutter disappear again.

"Yeah..." he groaned. "I think I'll be fine. But what the heck was that?!" He pointed at the destroyed forklift that was pinning the monster to the wall.

Hinata gave him a grim smile and leaned close to whisper, "Well, you didn't want to make me 'Gadget Girl' for no reason."

The Ninja let out a chuckle that made him wince in pain. "Heh. Yeah, but dang! I wasn't expecting you to pull off something like _that_. Hehehe...ow...!"

"Hold on, Kit. I'll be right back," Hinata told him with a concerned look before she ran off toward the center of the room again. After a bit of searching, she found what she was looking for and ran back to Naruto. He saw that it was her school bag, and Hinata said, "I'm surprised this managed to stay on me while that thing carried me here, and even more surprised that I could find it in this mess. But I'm glad I could. Here," she took out a towel from her bag and used it to dab at the gashes on his chest. "I always keep a spare, clean towel in my bag in case something happens to my gym towel at school."

"Thanks, Nata," the hero said with a small smile behind his mask, and even though Hinata caught his use of her Naruto-given nickname, she didn't react. She already knew it was him.

"No, thank you. You did save me again after all," she pointed out. The bleeding had stopped, and the gashes were already almost healed. Still, Hinata thought it best to help them along and took out more of her healing cream from her bag. As she started applying it to the wounds she told him, "You're almost healed, but this should help. It'll at least sterilize the injuries."

"Again, thanks. And you're the one who ended up saving me with that forklift, so I'd say we're at least even," Naruto chuckled again.

"Well, good. But if we're going to be working together, we shouldn't be keeping tabs on who owes who for saving whose behind," Hinata giggled.

"Uh, right," Naruto agreed with a slight sweat-drop.

Hinata helped him to his feet, and Kyuubi came back into the warehouse through the window. "So how'd it go?" Naruto asked him.

"He got away, but I know who he was," Kyuubi replied. "I'll explain..."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

When Kyuubi had ran after the hooded man out the window, the fox already knew the identity of the human he was chasing. Kabuto Yakushi—Orochimaru's top scientist who rivaled the snakelike man in his sadism. The worst things Kurama had experienced during his time in the lab had been administered by Kabuto under Orochimaru's direct orders. The mutated fox hated the silver-haired man as much as he hated the man's snakelike master. As he chased Kabuto, who had jumped on a motorcycle and was currently breaking the speed limit to get away, Kurama was determined to do everything in his power to tear the man's head off as soon as he caught him.

The two dodged around the traffic on the streets—many people were swerving off the road upon seeing the horse-sized, black-as-night, nine-tailed fox—and as soon as Kyuubi had a clear shot, he used two of his tails to lift a parked car and throw it at the fleeing Kabuto. He was actually aiming to hit the silver-haired, mad scientist, but sadly he only managed to block his path and force him to stop. Kabuto immediately jumped off the bike and pulled out a gun in one hand and a syringe in the other, which forced Kurama to stop in his tracks as well.

"Well, well, well. It's nice to see you again, Experiment F0009," Kabuto said with false cheer.

"Don't call me that," Kyuubi spat in anger. "I escaped your sick madhouse, and I have a name now."

"Ah, yes. No doubt your new master wanted to give his pet a name," the scientist taunted, his face a mixture between a smirk and a sneer.

The fox slammed several of his tails against the asphalt, causing many cracks and fissures in the street where they struck. "He is _not_ my master! He is my friend and equal as well as one of the few good humans left in the world!"

Kabuto shook his head as if disappointed. "Is that what you think, F0009? How sad. Just because you're sentient doesn't make you on par with humans. Sooner or later, he will show you that he thinks of you as a pet, not a partner." With a growl, Kyuubi crouched in preparation to pounce, but Kabuto stopped him with a wave of his gun. "Ah, ah, ah! You don't want to die today, do you?"

"Do you?" the fox retorted with a snarl. "You and I both know I could take every round in that gun and still managed to kill you before I died."

"And yet, you don't seem eager to go down killing me," Kabuto countered. "I have no interest in dying to kill you either, so how about we make a deal? I go back to the lab while you return to your new master, and we settle this some other time."

Kyuubi growled at the "master" comment, but otherwise nodded. "Fine. But when we meet again, I'll show you just how much of a beast I still am when I tear off your limbs one at a time before I take your head!"

The scientist just shook his head again. "We'll see about that."

And with that, the two went their separate ways. Kabuto jumped back on his motorcycle, and after watching him leave, Kyuubi returned to the warehouse where he had left Naruto.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

"And that's what happened," Kyuubi concluded his side of the night's events.

Without a word, Naruto walked over to the large fox and put his hand on his shoulder. Kyuubi gave him a confused look, and the boy asked him, "Kyuubi, you don't believe him, do you? That I think of you as a pet?"

The fox turned his head away to stare at the body of the wolf-lion-snake hybrid that was still sandwiched between the forklift and the wall. After a moment, he sighed and said, "No. Your treatment of me seems no different than the way you treat others of your species, and for that, I'm grateful to you. However, it's not easy being the only one of your kind to reach this level of intelligence, and I'll admit the way your grandparents treat me gets a bit tiresome. But they don't know that I'm not a normal fox either."

Naruto let out a chuckle. "Yeah, 'cause if they did, they wouldn't have been so surprised about the fact that you learned to use the bathroom!" he joked, eliciting a laugh from the fox as well. Then the boy surprised Kyuubi by giving him a brief hug. "Kurama, you may be grumpy a lot of the time and call me an idiot on occasion, but you're still my friend. Fox or human, you're my partner in crime-fighting, and one of my best friends."

For a split-second, Kurama smiled at Naruto, but then his expression quickly turned to one of reproach. "Kit! You used my name!"

"So? Why does that matter?" He glanced at Hinata. "Is it because—mmf!" He was cut off by the bluenette's hand coming over his masked mouth, and when he looked at her in surprise, he noticed her gaze wasn't on him. He followed where she and Kyuubi as well were looking and saw the monster was still alive. And looking at them.

"So **you fi**nally n**otic**ed," the monster remarked, slipping in and out of beast speech, but Hinata was still able to understand it as well as the two animal-speaking heroes beside her.

"How...how are you still alive?" Kitsune Ninja asked.

The monster let out a low, dry laugh that turned into a cough, and blood ran from its mouth. It just shook its head in answer, though.

"P-Probably b-b-because the f-forks in it are k-keeping it f-f-from b-bleeding out," Hinata surmised, stuttering because of the gory sight and knowing that she caused it even if it was to save Naruto.

Both the Ninja and fox nodded, accepting that as a plausible answer, then Naruto spoke up. "But why didn't you guys want me to say anymore? It's not like..." he trailed off. He was going to say that it wasn't like the monster was going to live long enough to tell its masters what any of them said, but just thinking that made Naruto feel like a callous person. The creature may have been an enemy and may have tried to kill them, but that didn't change the fact that it was forced to and that it was now the one dying.

Kyuubi knew what the boy had been about to say and was proud of him for being sensitive to not finish the thought out loud. The fox felt too much empathy toward the monster for what it had gone through to feel merciless toward it. But he answered the half-asked question anyway. "We stopped you because it has a listening device on it."

"Huh?" Naruto voiced in confusion.

"R-Right there, K-Kit. Y-You can s-s-see it in its ear," Hinata told him while pointing at the monster.

"You c**an** rem**ove it**. I no **long**er have a rea**son to** kill you," the monster told them, turning its head slightly to bring its ear closer to them.

The fox and two humans glanced at each other for a second, and then Naruto shrugged and took a step forward. Hinata grabbed his arm to stop him, and when he looked at her, he saw the worry in her eyes.

"I'll be fine," he reassured her. She gave his arm a squeeze before nodding and letting go. Kyuubi, however, made Naruto grab onto one of his tails, so he could pull the boy back quickly if the monster tried anything. Then the blonde hero walked over to the bloodied, broken creature, pulled the small device off its ear, and crushed it in his hand, grinding it into dust just to be sure.

Before he could walk away, the monster looked up at him and said, "Hero...do me **a fav**or..."

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"**Ki**ll me..."

"What?!" Naruto yelled in shock. He heard Hinata gasp behind him and felt Kurama tense through the tail he was still holding.

"Please..." the monster begged in a whisper.

Naruto looked back at his companions, not knowing what to do. Hinata had her hands covering her mouth and tears were running down her face, and Kyuubi was looking solemn. Finally, the fox spoke up.

"It _is_ dying, Kit. At least show mercy and end its pain."

The Ninja sighed, closing his eyes for a moment while he pulled a kunai out of his pouch—he didn't want to use his claws for the job like he had with Minizilla, the lizard monster. Opening his eyes again, he turned to his fox partner. "Kurama, do me a favor. Don't let Hinata see this."

The fox nodded and moved another tail to cover the bluenette's eyes, but she pushed it away. "I'm s-strong enough t-to handle th-this, Kit," she told Naruto with some indignation.

"I don't doubt that, Hinata. I just don't want you to see me doing this if I can help it," he replied sadly.

"I und-derstand, b-but I'd r-rather not be t-treated like a n-naïve child," she said and after a pause, added, "I w-won't think l-less of you for th-this, you know."

Naruto sighed again. "If you insist." He turned back to the monster, which lifted its head to expose its neck.

As the hero placed his blade on its throat, the creature said, "Hero...I **wi**sh you luck...in **kill**ing my masters..."

"Thanks," Naruto replied, his voice grim, and he slashed quickly across the monster's throat and stepped back. There was a gush of blood, a few choking noises, and the light faded from the monster's eyes. It was dead.

"Kurama?" Naruto asked after a moment passed.

"Yeah, Kit?" the fox responded in a subdued voice.

"I hate Orochimaru."

"Heh," the fox laughed dryly. "This is just the tip of the iceberg of all the horrible crap he's done. But we can't dwell on that now." He turned to Hinata. "We need to get you home."

She just nodded silently, and Naruto, having cleaned his blade and put it away, came toward her and pulled her into a hug. "You okay?" he asked.

She nodded again with her arms around him. "Yeah...it's j-just a...lot t-to take in."

He was about to respond when they heard police sirens outside the warehouse—apparently the Konoha Police Department had finally decided to see what was going on at the old building as well as find the large fox that had caused several wrecks that evening. The Ninja just had Hinata jump up on his back, and the three of them left out the back of the warehouse.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Hinata was having the ride of her life. Once away from the warehouse, the Ninja and fox had taken to the rooftops, and while scared at first, the Hyuuga heiress soon found the experience of almost flying from rooftop to rooftop exhilarating. She was actually pretty disappointed when they stopped.

They were halfway back to the Hyuuga mansion when Kitsune Ninja halted on top of a large building. Letting Hinata down from his back, he said, "Before we go any farther, you and I need to finish our talk from last night, Hinata."

"You mean about who you really are?" she asked, and in the back of her mind, she was grateful she had calmed down enough not to stutter anymore.

"Yeah," the Ninja nodded.

"Before you show her," Kyuubi began as he sat down by them, "I'm curious to see if she can guess."

"Sure, okay," Naruto agreed with the fox. He looked at Hinata. "I'm sure ya know, though."

"Yup!" she giggled. "You're Naruto."

The boy laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Aw...What gave me away? Besides you being able to tell when someone's lying, that is."

"Well, there was that, but you kind of reinforced the suspicion by saying 'ya know', scratching the back of your head like you're doing now, calling me 'Nata', and calling him," she gestured to Kyuubi, "'Kurama'."

Naruto was shocked that he had done all that without realizing it, and Kyuubi burst out laughing at him. "Kit, you really are an idiot! Glad we could trust her, _ya know_! Hahaha!"

"Shut up, Kurama!" Naruto said indignantly while shaking a fist at his friend. "No one ever accused me of being the most observant guy out there, ya know!"

The fox stopped laughing just long enough to say, "That's because they know you're an idiot, _ya know_!"

"Stop makin' fun of the way I talk!" Naruto shouted angrily.

Hinata watched them bicker for a minute longer as she tried to gain control over her own giggling. When she finally succeeded, she stepped toward Naruto and laid a hand on his shoulder. He immediately stopped shouting at Kurama to look at her.

"Naruto," the heiress began as she reached toward his face, "I would still like to see you. Without the mask..."

Kurama, sensing the two humans were about to have some sort of moment, rolled his eyes and made himself scarce, leaping down to the alley below.

Naruto grinned. "Go ahead, Nata," he told her, and his grin faded as he closed his eyes.

With both hands, Hinata pulled down his mask and saw with the light of the full moon those familiar whisker-marks and the pair of lips she had found herself dreaming of kissing ever since she first met their owner. Looking back at his eyes as they opened again, she saw the familiar blue of Naruto's normal human eyes.

A sly smirk appeared on his face as he leaned closer to her, his lips just inches from hers. "Like what you see, Nata?"

She was about to respond without words in a way that many would consider far bolder than what they would expect of the shy Hyuuga when Kurama's head popped up over the edge of the building. "Hate to ruin the moment," the fox said sarcastically, "but we should really get her home now before her family has the city torn apart looking for her."

"Seriously? You couldn't give us just a few more seconds?" Naruto asked with his face scrunched up into a pout. Hinata just stood there in silence, her face crimson with embarrassment. The fox just laughed at them, and Naruto said, "Alright, fine. Stay up here with Hinata and bring her down when I call. I gotta go change back into my normal stuff." And he jumped down in the alley to change in relative privacy. Once that was done, Kyuubi brought Hinata down and then turned back into his normal fox form. Then the three of them made their way back to the Hyuuga mansion as Hinata called her father to tell him she was on her way home.

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

The Hyuuga heiress was never more shocked than when her father embraced her, relieved that she was safe. She had just finished explaining what had happened—that the monster that had rampaged downtown the previous night had grabbed her and the Kitsune Ninja saved her. There was no point in lying to her ever-perceptive father, but she left out being kept in a warehouse and the hooded man who threatened her. Thankfully, Hiashi was just so relieved his daughter was safe that he didn't press for details.

The Hyuuga elders, however, were a different story.

"How did this monster keep a hold of you for so long?" one of the two female elders asked her.

"W-Well, I w-was unc-c-conscious f-for most of the t-time..." Hinata hesitantly stammered out.

"Tch," came a small scoff, and Naruto looked in the direction it sounded from. His blue eyes hardened as they fell on Neji, who was looking at Hinata contemptuously.

"And when you came to, why did you not simply free yourself?" one of the two male elders asked next.

"I-I c-c-couldn't," Hinata replied looking down at the floor.

"Typical," said the other female elder. "Too weak and useless to even protect herself."

"A failure as always," put in the only elder who hadn't spoken yet. "And now we're indebted to that masked madman for saving our worthless heiress."

Naruto couldn't see her face since she had her head bowed so low, but he knew Hinata was crying by the slight shake of her shoulders and the drops of water he could see hitting the floor by her feet. He looked up at Hiashi, wondering why he wasn't defending his daughter, and he saw the man was making a monumental effort to restrain himself if the throbbing vein in forehead was any indication on the otherwise stoic face. Seeing all this, Naruto was about to fly into a shouting, insult-filled rant against the elders, but sharp claws digging into his shoulder stopped him. Glancing to the side, he saw Kurama, who was sitting on his shoulder, give him the slightest shake of his head, reminding the blonde to keep his cool if he was going to say anything at all.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto cleared his throat and asked calmly, "May I say something?"

The elders regarded him with contempt, considering him beneath them because he was not a Hyuuga and because he had a wild animal on his shoulder, while Hiashi allowed a ghost of a smile to show on his face. "You may speak, Mr. Namikaze," the leader of the Hyuuga family said.

"Thank you, Lord Hiashi," Naruto replied with a respectful bow of his head. Then looking at the elders he stated, "I'm just wondering something. How was Hinata supposed to free herself from a monster that was reported to be capable of throwing around cars and tearing up roads? A monster that police reported was thrown into a brick building by the Kitsune Ninja and yet it still got up and managed to run away?" He turned back to Hinata's father. "Lord Hiashi, I'm assuming that as the head of the family, you're the best at the Gentle Fist style, right? Could you have saved yourself from such a monster?"

"No, I don't believe I could have," Hiashi answered immediately, grateful to Naruto for defending his daughter. "Even with our superior fighting style, we are still only human. A monster that could easily crush a person like a mere bug is nothing to be trifled with." He gave the elders a pointed look, and they averted his gaze, knowing what he said was true but unwilling to apologize for their harsh, unfair words to Hinata. Hiashi folded his arms and said, "Elders, you can see the heiress is safe, so there is no longer a need for you to be here. You are excused."

The elders looked at him in shock for dismissing them, but the stern gaze of his silver eyes made them think twice about arguing. With a stiff yet respectful bow, the elders left the foyer to their rooms deeper within the mansion.

Then Hiashi turned to Neji. "Nephew, might I ask why you failed in your duty to keep the heiress safe?"

Neji bowed and answered, "My apologies, Lord Hiashi, but it was my understanding that she was coming home with Namikaze and did not need me there."

"Are you trying to excuse yourself from your duty?" Hiashi asked sternly.

"N-No, Lord Hiashi." Normally, Neji wouldn't expect to be punished by his uncle for anything, but neither Hinata nor Hanabi had ever been kidnapped before.

Hiashi, however, was motivated to punish his nephew for a bit more than an understandable lax in serving his duty. Rationally, Neji had no reason to walk his cousin home because she was supposed to be in the company of another, but that did not excuse the derisive scoff Hiashi heard his nephew utter when the elders were being unreasonable to Hinata. To be quite honest, Hiashi was in no mood for Neji's attitude.

He opened his mouth to issue his nephew's punishment when the quiet voice of his daughter stopped him. "F-Father, p-please don't punish Neji-nii-san. H-He didn't kn-know that N-Naruto wasn't with me."

"Yeah, I should've told you I wouldn't be able to walk her home beforehand," the Namikaze added, but not to defend Neji. He just didn't want Hinata to be upset.

Hiashi considered their words for a moment before speaking again. "Fine. However," he pulled Neji aside to speak to him where Hinata and Naruto—if he didn't have superhuman hearing anyway—couldn't hear him. "If I hear you scoff at my daughter again when the elders are being unreasonable, I will _not_ let it slide. Is that understood?"

"Loud and clear, Lord Hiashi. I apologize." Neji bowed his head again.

Hiashi nodded and said, "You are dismissed." As Neji left the room, the Hyuuga leader walked back over to his daughter and her blonde friend. "Naruto," he caught the boy's attention. "Thank you for finding my daughter, and thank you for standing up for her against the elders. There are many times I wish to speak my mind against them, but I'm afraid their position makes them capable of taking retribution."

"No problem, sir. I would've taken on that monster myself for Hinata if the Kitsune Ninja hadn't gotten to him first!" Naruto declared, feeling silly for referring to the fight with the monster as if he wasn't the one fought it. Hiashi just chuckled at the boy's bravado and his daughter's reaction as she stared at the boy with a blushing smile. But then Naruto's face turned serious as he asked, "What retribution could the elders do to you, though, sir? Aren't you the leader of the Hyuuga family?"

Hiashi sighed. "Yes, I am, but there are limits as to what I can do against the elders. And it is not for my own sake that I worry." His eyes flicked to Hinata for a second, and Naruto understood what he meant. If Hiashi spoke out against the elders too much, they could take revenge by imposing harsh rules and punishments on his daughters, including having one of them become a Branch Family member.

"I understand, sir," Naruto said simply.

"Good," the older man laid a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "And while I never want to discourage you from defending my daughter, I still must ask you to watch what you say. The Hyuuga family owes you for bringing the heiress back, so the elders will likely let your 'insolence' toward them slide. But you should be careful in the future."

Naruto nodded. "Understood."

Withdrawing his hand, Hiashi returned the nod. "So, Naruto. Will you be walking my daughter home from now on?"

"F-Father," Hinata began, getting a little tired of being talked about as if she wasn't there, "I-I can t-take care of myself."

Hiashi looked at his eldest daughter, and a soft smile slowly appeared on his face. "It's not about that, my daughter. While it's true that your skill with the Gentle Fist could use improvement, that is not the reason I wish for you to be with at least one companion while you are outside of this house." He glanced at the blonde boy before continuing, "And there is no logical reason for me to expect Naruto here to be able to protect you from a monster or even against an armed adversary. But he would still be able to run for help in the event you were captured again. You must remember, Hinata, that you are the heiress of our family, and as such, there will be people who will try to kidnap you if not worse. You are safer in numbers."

Hinata nodded as her gaze fell away toward the floor between them. "I understand, Father."

"Don't worry, Lord Hiashi. I'll make sure to keep Hinata safe," Naruto said to the Hyuuga leader.

"I will trust you to keep to your word," Hiashi smiled. "Now, it is a school night, so I suggest you get on home, Naruto. I'll leave you two to say your goodbyes." And with that, the man turned and left the room.

Once they were alone, Kurama jumped off Naruto's shoulder as the blonde turned to Hinata and wrapped his arms around her. Feeling her arms go around his waist, Naruto nuzzled the girl's hair and breathed deep her scent of cinnamon and lavender. He was so relieved that she was safe. The entire time he and Kyuubi were searching for her, he kept thinking of all the horrible fates that could've befallen his princess. He didn't want to have to let her go to go home; he wished he could stay by her side all the time. And the fact that his secret was officially known to her was a huge relief as well—he finally had someone besides Kurama to talk to about his secret, and it made him feel even closer to his blue-haired friend.

Hinata also felt closer to Naruto after the events of the evening. He had saved her once again—once again risked his life for her, and she managed to save him during the fight as well. The knowledge that she actually managed to be useful made her feel confident for once in her life, and she knew it was all thanks to Naruto. Because of him, Hinata was able to find the courage use her talent for tinkering with machines to defeat a monster and save her best friend.

Feeling bold and grateful, Hinata turned her head and kissed Naruto's whisker-marked cheek. Surprised, the boy looked at her and briefly thought about capturing both of her soft lips with his own, but thought against it when he considered three facts: her father might see and not be happy about it, the foyer of her house wasn't exactly the most romantic setting for a first kiss, and Kurama was watching them. So Naruto just quickly returned the gesture by kissing her on her cheek.

Leaning his forehead against hers, he said, "See you at school tomorrow."

Hinata smiled. "Yup. And we have some things to talk about."

"Hehe. Yeah, I know. I'll explain everything. You just get ready to officially join me," he told her.

"Don't worry about that. I'll be ready to go tomorrow night," Hinata replied with determination in her lavender eyes.

Naruto grinned at the sight. "Sounds good...Gadget Girl."

*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*

Finally! It's freakin' done! You guys have no idea how hard this one was for me to write. I don't know why either. The ideas just didn't flow as freely as usual. So if it sucks...well, that's too bad.

**ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION!**

Do I have your attention now? I have an important author's note here, and I'm hoping that even those of you who would normally skip this stuff will read what I'm about to say here.

Now, I've had quite a few of you ask me about Minato and Kushina and what they're doing. Rest assured, I have not forgotten about them. They will make their way back into the story eventually—don't worry. Remember, people, this story's still in single digits in terms of chapter numbers, and Naruto's side of the story still hasn't gotten off the ground all the way yet. Just be patient.

Which leads me to another question that I need to address. I've been asked how long I plan for this story to be. My answer: I have no idea. Seriously, there is no set plan for this. I have ideas for the story and am working toward them, but each chapter is made up as I go. I don't plan on this being some epically long, 50+ chapters story, but that possibility is not ruled out either. There is no set plan. Believe me, I have bad luck with plans, so it's better that I don't have one here. I'm along for the ride just as much as you guys. The only difference is I'm in control of where this ship is sailing. XD

And one more thing, some of you are taking the superhero inspiration a little too far. Again, Spider-man—or more specifically, how he gets his abilities—was just the inspiration for the story. I don't know enough about his enemies to copy them even if I wanted to, and I know more about Spider-man than any of the other superheroes out there. Well, except maybe Batman, but I'm not using anything from his character or story either. So those of you who have asked me about Hinata becoming Black Cat, I gotta be honest with you—I have no idea who that is. Seriously, the only "Black Cat" I know is a manga where Black Cat is one of the main character's names (and he's a guy, not a girl like Hinata), and the only "cat" I know of with the superhero stuff is Catwoman. So if you guys are referring to that manga, I don't remember it enough to make a reference to it, and Hinata's not becoming Catwoman either. Or at least, I'm not using Catwoman as inspiration for anything. So I just wanted to clear that up. My knowledge of the DC/Marvel superheroes is extremely limited, and the only intentional reference to any of them is Naruto's becoming the Kitsune Ninja at the beginning.

Hope that answers any questions/concerns!

Now! For the moment you've _all_ been waiting for!

Lame pun time!

Which American president was the least guilty?

Lincoln. He was in a cent.

XD

Please review if you're enjoying the story, and I don't want my author's note to discourage any of you from giving me suggestions. Your suggestions give me ideas. I may not use what you suggest, but then again, I might. Or it may inspire something else. Either way, the more ideas I have, the faster I'm able to write. Like I said before, I struggled quite a bit with this chapter, and I would like that to not happen with future chapters. So please, feel free to share your ideas and let me know if you're enjoying the story. It also helps me to know the story is loved. ^_^

And hey, I got to release this chapter on my birthday! My birthday gift to you all. ^_^ Hope you liked it!

Until next time!


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